Major pumped hydroelectric power storage station breaks ground
2022-11-12 21:11:18
A major pumped hydroelectric power storage station project, whose investment reaches nearly 900 million yuan (US$126.61 million), broke ground in Yuan’an County of Yichang City on November 10. Once completed, it will help Hubei province to significantly cut carbon emissions in the energy generation process.
The Hubei Yuan'an Pumped Storage Power Station Project is located in Baohuasi Village, Hualinsi Town. It is mainly composed of upper and lower reservoirs, a water transmission system and a power generation system.
The project will have four reversible water pump turbine units, each with an installed power generation capacity of 300,000 kW. It is expected that the station will generate 1.23 billion kWh each year. Given that China’s per capita non-industrial power consumption was 878 kWh in 2021, the power plant alone will theoretically be capable of satisfying the electricity demand of 1.4 million Chinese people.
Pumped hydroelectric energy storage (PHES) works first by pumping water from a lower elevation reservoir to another at a higher elevation where it is stored. It does this by using clean energies such as wind and photovoltaic power. Then, at times when energy demand is high, the system releases water back down to the lower reservoir through turbines creating power. This approach solves the storage and balancing issue of green electric energy. Therefore, many refer to pumped hydroelectric energy storage stations as “huge power banks.”
Once completed, the station has the potential to cut about 352,000 tons of coal consumption annually and reduce the release of 5,000 tons of sulfur dioxide, 744,000 tons of carbon dioxide, and 1,800 tons of nitrogen oxides. The average annual carbon reduction benefit will be about 69 million yuan.
It is a key project of China’s 14th Five-Year Plan of the Medium- and Long-Term Development Plan For Pumped Hydro Storage (2021-2035), and also a key construction project of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) of Hubei Province.
The Hubei Yuan'an Pumped Storage Power Station Project is located in Baohuasi Village, Hualinsi Town. It is mainly composed of upper and lower reservoirs, a water transmission system and a power generation system.
The project will have four reversible water pump turbine units, each with an installed power generation capacity of 300,000 kW. It is expected that the station will generate 1.23 billion kWh each year. Given that China’s per capita non-industrial power consumption was 878 kWh in 2021, the power plant alone will theoretically be capable of satisfying the electricity demand of 1.4 million Chinese people.
Pumped hydroelectric energy storage (PHES) works first by pumping water from a lower elevation reservoir to another at a higher elevation where it is stored. It does this by using clean energies such as wind and photovoltaic power. Then, at times when energy demand is high, the system releases water back down to the lower reservoir through turbines creating power. This approach solves the storage and balancing issue of green electric energy. Therefore, many refer to pumped hydroelectric energy storage stations as “huge power banks.”
Once completed, the station has the potential to cut about 352,000 tons of coal consumption annually and reduce the release of 5,000 tons of sulfur dioxide, 744,000 tons of carbon dioxide, and 1,800 tons of nitrogen oxides. The average annual carbon reduction benefit will be about 69 million yuan.
It is a key project of China’s 14th Five-Year Plan of the Medium- and Long-Term Development Plan For Pumped Hydro Storage (2021-2035), and also a key construction project of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) of Hubei Province.
