The first two units of south China's inaugural pumped-storage power station in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region commenced operation on Friday, capable of converting 500,000 cubic meters of water energy into 600,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of clean electricity per hour -- enough to power 100,000 households for a day.
The commissioning of these two generating units will provide the power grid with an additional 1.2 million kilowatts of regulation capacity, supporting the large-scale grid connection of wind and solar power in Guangxi and increasing the share of clean energy.
With a total investment of approximately 8 billion yuan (about 1.14 billion U.S. dollars), the pumped-storage power station in Guangxi's Nanning City is equipped with four generating units, with the remaining two scheduled to be brought online soon.
"The second batch of two units at the pumped-storage power station has entered its final preparation phase to ensure full commissioning by the end of this month. Once completed, the station will be able to generate and deliver up to 2.5 billion kilowatt-hours of clean energy annually, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 2.2 million tonnes," said Dai Xiong, deputy general manager of the Nanning pumped-storage project department of China Southern Power Grid.
The operational principle of a pumped-storage power station is to use surplus electricity to pump water from the base of a mountain to a reservoir at the top. When renewable energy output is insufficient, stored water is released downhill to generate electricity via hydraulic turbines, thereby stabilizing supply.
Functioning like a giant power bank, the station will help stabilize the grid connection of wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources.
To date, China's installed pumped-storage capacity has exceeded 64 million kilowatts, providing robust support for the large-scale, high-quality development of new energy.
Southern China's first pumped-storage power station begins operation in Guangxi
