The No. 11 unit of State Grid's Fengning Pumped Storage Power Station in Hebei Province has successfully completed rigorous testing and trial runs, officially commencing its commercial operation.
Source: Xinhua News Agency
The No.11 unit of State Grid's Fengning Pumped Storage Power Station in Hebei Province has successfully completed rigorous testing and trial runs, officially commencing its commercial operation. This accomplishment marks the full operation of the 12 - unit "hydro battery", a significant milestone in the global energy storage landscape.
The Fengning power station earns the title "hydro battery" due to its innovative energy storage mechanism. It utilizes wind and solar energy to pump water to higher elevations during periods of surplus electricity in the power grid. Subsequently, when electricity demand surges, the stored water is released to generate power, thus realizing a seamless "energy storage - power generation - standby" cycle. This process effectively addresses the challenge of electrical energy storage and plays a crucial role in balancing power supply and demand.
Ni Jinbing, Chairman of State Grid Fengning Pumped Storage Power Generation Co., Ltd., stated that the "hydro battery" employs water as a medium to convert between electrical and potential energy, storing excess green electricity from the Zhangbei region. This not only safeguards grid stability and reduces the waste of wind and solar energy but also ensures a reliable supply of green electricity to the Beijing - Tianjin - Hebei region.
As the world's largest pumped storage power station, Fengning has set four remarkable "world firsts" in the field. First, it is equipped with 12 single - stage reversible pump - turbine generator units, each with a capacity of 300,000 kilowatts, boasting a total installed capacity of 3.6 million kilowatts, the largest among all pumped storage power stations globally. Second, the upper reservoir can store nearly 40 million kilowatt - hours of new energy electricity when full, and the 12 units are capable of operating at full capacity for 10.8 hours. It is the sole pumped storage power station in North China with weekly regulation capabilities, guaranteeing its pivotal role in energy storage and regulation. Third, the underground powerhouse of the Fengning power station measures 414 meters in length, 54.5 meters in height, and 25 meters in width, ranking as the largest underground powerhouse of a pumped storage power station. Lastly, during the construction process, the station systematically overcame key challenges in building super - large underground cavern groups under complex geological conditions. With a total of 190 underground caverns stretching for 50.14 kilometers, the scale of its underground engineering is truly massive.
Ni Jinbing further emphasized that with the full operation of the Fengning power station, it is anticipated to save 480,800 tons of standard coal annually and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1.2 million tons, which is equivalent to afforesting 240,000 mu (approximately 159,000 acres). This will significantly propel the clean and low - carbon energy transition in the Beijing - Tianjin - Hebei region. With all 12 units now in operation, the annual power generation is projected to reach 6.6 billion kilowatt - hours, sufficient to meet the electricity needs of 2.6 million households for a year.