In March 2026, both the concentrated solar power (CSP) and molten salt thermal energy storage sectors recorded significant progress, with multiple key projects reaching important milestones:
In the CSP sector, the Aba County “Solar Thermal +” 2 GW project (Phase I) successively finalized contractors for survey and design, as well as core equipment suppliers for the heliostat field, steam turbine, and steam generation system. Meanwhile, several CSP + PV hybrid projects, including those in Delingha by CGN and Gonghe by POWERCHINA, completed the awarding of key commissioning service contracts.
In the molten salt energy storage sector, a number of coal-fired power flexibility retrofit projects integrating molten salt storage—such as Jinshan No.2 Thermal Power Plant and Hefei United Power Generation—completed EPC and design-procurement contract awards. In addition, Xi’an Thermal Power Research Institute finalized bids for several R&D service projects related to core molten salt storage technologies, while Ningxia Power Investment Yinchuan Thermal Power Co., Ltd. initiated a feasibility study on molten salt energy storage applications.
According to incomplete statistics from CSPPLAZA, as of March 2026, a total of 15 CSP and molten salt energy storage-related projects, involving 24 major contracts, have completed tendering, bid awards, or candidate announcements. Details are as follows:
