Compressed-CO₂ Storage: China's First 100 MW-Class Plant Connects to the Grid in Mulei
The Huadian–Dongfang Electric Mulei demonstration — China's first 100 MW-class compressed-CO₂ energy storage plant — has connected to the grid in Xinjiang, running a non-supplementary-fired phase-change scheme with domestically built CO₂ compressors and a turbine expander reported above 90% efficiency.
Lead
China's first 100 MW-class compressed-carbon-dioxide energy storage project — the Huadian–Dongfang Electric Mulei demonstration in Xinjiang — has been connected to the grid, according to Sichuan Daily's Chuanguan News (川观新闻), carried by the Sichuan provincial state-owned assets regulator on 3 October 2026.
Facts
The process chain. The plant runs the full chain of CO₂ compression, liquefaction, storage, gasification, expansion and generation, on a non-supplementary-fired gas–liquid phase-change storage scheme — charging on surplus power at valleys and discharging at peaks, with what the reports describe as minute-level response to grid dispatch and more than six hours of continuous generation. (Sources: Chuanguan News via the Sichuan SASAC site; People's Daily Online's Sichuan channel (人民网四川频道), 2026-10-04.)
The machines. The core equipment — the CO₂ compressor, motor, turbine expander, generator, pressure-storage vessels, large heat exchangers and the high-power variable-frequency drive — was developed in-house at Dongfang Electric Corporation. The reports state a turbine expander efficiency above 90% and an intake flow of 1,472.4 tonnes per hour, and describe the unit as the highest-efficiency compressed-CO₂ generating set in China. (Sources: the same; Dongfang Electric's own account.)
The setting. The plant sits in the Gobi desert at Mulei, where the reports note wide day–night temperature swings, wind-blown sand and severe winters; the project team is described as having addressed low-temperature material selection, sand protection and freeze protection through dedicated reviews, with modular prefabrication and sectional installation. (Source: Dongfang Electric's account.)
The pairing and the arithmetic. The plant is paired with 600 MW of wind and 400 MW of solar capacity. The reports state an annual intake of about 290 million kWh of valley electricity and an annual output of about 180 million kWh at peaks, with savings of about 50,000 tonnes of standard coal and about 170,000 tonnes of CO₂ avoided per year. (Sources: the same.)
The designations. The project is a national-level demonstration, named in the National Energy Administration's fourth list of first-of-a-kind major technical equipment and in the National Development and Reform Commission's second list of green and low-carbon advanced technology demonstration projects. (Source: the same.)
Where this connects on this site
- Why the pressure of a CO₂ duty is set by the phase you store it in: Compressing CO₂: The Pressure Is Set by the Phase, Not by the Distance
- What a compression train owes a storage duty that charges and discharges daily: Compressed-Air Energy Storage: What the Compressor Train Has to Do
- The selector: gascompressorselect.com
Sources
| # | Fact | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grid connection of the Huadian–Dongfang Electric Mulei compressed-CO₂ storage demonstration — China's first 100 MW-class plant of its kind; the full compression–liquefaction–storage–gasification–expansion–generation chain; non-supplementary-fired phase-change storage; minute-level dispatch response and over six hours of continuous generation; in-house CO₂ compressor, motor, turbine expander, generator, storage vessels, heat exchangers and variable-frequency drive; turbine efficiency above 90%; intake flow of 1,472.4 t/h; 600 MW wind + 400 MW solar pairing; the annual storage/discharge and coal/CO₂ figures; the site's desert conditions and the engineering responses | 四川省国资委转载川观新闻, 2026-10-08 — https://gzw.sc.gov.cn/scsgzw/CU230206/2026/10/8/00b2684e6cc6432bbc6d1cf6c8c69686.shtml ｜ 人民网四川频道, 2026-10-04 — https://sc.people.com.cn/BIG5/n2/2026/1004/c345167-41714130.html |
| 2 | The national designations: the NEA's fourth first-of-a-kind major technical equipment list and the NDRC's second green and low-carbon advanced technology demonstration list | 东方电气（企业号发布）, 2026-10-02 — https://www.toutiao.com/article/7691989942150513203 |
Note on sourcing. This item reports government-media and manufacturer accounts of a grid-connection milestone. We record the verifiable layer — the process chain, the equipment scope and the published figures. Performance claims are reported as stated by the sources, and we do not rank or recommend suppliers.
What the source does not state
The reports do not state the compressor's type, stage count, discharge pressure or power, the storage pressure and temperature of the liquid CO₂, the plant's round-trip efficiency, its rated power in MW and storage capacity in MWh as nameplate figures, the investment amount, or the operating record since grid connection.
Update note
This item is a dated record of a publicly reported grid connection. We append corrections rather than rewrite history; corrections are marked Correction with the date.