Mulei CO2 storage project reaches first grid connection
Huadian’s 1 October announcement dates the first connection to 30 September. A separate Dongfang release describes the equipment and integration work.
The story explained
China Huadian announced on 1 October that the hundred-megawatt-class Mulei compressed-CO2 storage project first connected to the grid on 30 September. This addition retains the original announcement date; a later republication is not a fresh commissioning event.
CO2 circulates in a closed system. Off-peak electricity drives compression, with heat retained and the working fluid condensed for storage. During discharge, it is vaporised and heated to drive a turbine. Its role here is energy storage, rather than permanent carbon sequestration.
Dongfang Electric’s 3 October release identifies its EPC role and equipment including compressors, expansion turbines, pressure vessels, heat exchangers and controls. It also describes cold-weather, windblown-sand and thermal-integration challenges, without naming valve suppliers or subsequent procurement packages.
First connection is an engineering milestone. Sustained efficiency, cycling performance and maintenance costs require operating evidence; supplier performance claims are not presented here as independently verified results.
Additional verification: Dongfang Electric announcement, 3 October 2026 (Chinese).
Why it matters
Editorial analysis: study phase changes, thermal cycling, sealing and startup control, then establish the pressure and temperature envelope for each equipment package. Grid connection does not itself establish an open valve procurement opportunity.
Relevant toStorage engineering, process control, valve selection and reliability teams
What to watch next
Follow acceptance testing, sustained operating records, cycling and maintenance experience, plus formal approvals and purchasing documents for subsequent projects.
These are research prompts, not announced tenders or confirmed subsequent developments.
中国华电 / China Huadian
全国首个百兆瓦级压缩二氧化碳储能项目并网发电
This is an independently written summary and analysis, not an official translation. Project plans and status may change.