Tallest pumped-storage facility fully operational

NANJING — China on Tuesday launched a pumped-storage hydropower station featuring the world's tallest dam of its kind in Jurong, Jiangsu province.

Built by a subsidiary of State Grid Corp of China, the fully operational facility has a total installed capacity of 1.35 gigawatts and is expected to generate 1.35 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually.

The hydropower plant uses off-peak electricity to pump water from a lower reservoir to an upper one, storing water that can be released to generate power when demand surges.

Its upper reservoir dam stands 182.3 meters high, roughly the height of a 60-story building, making it the tallest pumped-storage dam in the world. The reservoir can hold up to 17.07 million cubic meters of water.

Jiangsu, an industrial powerhouse in the Yangtze River Delta, faces record-breaking electricity demand. Meanwhile, as renewable energy capacity continues to surge, demand for energy storage facilities is also growing.

Once fully operational, the power station can help ease grid pressure during peak time and boost the consumption of power generated from renewable energy sources like wind and solar, said Wang Chenhui, director of the development department of State Grid Zhenjiang Power Supply Co.

Since 2021, State Grid has put 78 pumped-storage hydropower generating units into operation, bringing the total power generation capacity of this kind to 44.53 GW.

Xinhua - China Daily