On September 12, the world's first tower concentrated solar power (CSP) alternative demonstration project for extra-heavy oil extraction—the Zhong37 Tower Water Working Fluid High-Temperature CSP Project, constructed by SEPCO III—officially commenced operation at the Fengcheng Oilfield Operation Area of Xinjiang Oilfield Company. It successfully achieved continuous and stable supply according to the design indicators of "steam pressure 6 MPa, temperature 305°C, flow rate 36 t/h," marking the successful completion of the first commercial practice of the company's independently developed complete set of concentrating and heat collection products.

To precisely meet the actual needs of heavy oil extraction, the project site selected and installed 23,700 units of the company's independently developed 2.17-square-meter small heliostats. This type of heliostat has multiple advantages such as high optical efficiency, excellent wind resistance, strong terrain adaptability, convenient installation, outstanding mobility, and low water consumption. While significantly improving the overall technical and economic performance of the project, it further strengthens the project's environmental protection and energy-saving attributes.

The project successfully developed four pioneering technologies: the integrated "CSP-SAGD" process, the integrated "mirror-furnace-control" equipment, the adaptive steam quality adjustment system, and the "modular-skid-mounted" engineering mode. It achieved leading positions in six key indicators, including steam supply parameters, concentrating accuracy, calibration efficiency, system reliability, localization rate, and economic performance, providing key support for the oilfield's transformation from a "major energy consumer" to a "low-carbon benchmark."

The project's solar-to-thermal conversion efficiency reaches 53%, achieving an industry-leading level. It can supply 52,000 tons of high-quality superheated steam annually, replace 3.92 million cubic meters of natural gas, and reduce carbon emissions by 8,500 tons. This not only concretely demonstrates the company's innovative achievements in the field of CSP technology, but also provides the global green extraction of heavy oil with a demonstrative, replicable, and scalable "Chinese solution," opening up a new path for the application of CSP technology to support China's "dual carbon" goals and the optimization and upgrading of its energy structure.