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World’s Largest Hybrid Pumped Storage Project Starts Construction at Lianghekou on the Yalong River

2023-01-31


On December 29th, 2022, the SDIC Group Yalong River Lianghekou Hybrid Pumped Storage Project, the largest of its kind in the world, officially started construction in Sichuan province. Sichuan Governor Huang Qiang declared the start of the construction. Domestic media outlets gave a full coverage report on the event. They include People’s Daily, Xinhua, the website of the Chinese government, CCTV News Channel, CCTV Finance Channel and CCTV Chinese International Channel, cnr.cn, Chinanews.com.cn, China Energy News, Global Times, thepaper.cn, thecover.cn, bjnews.com.cn, Sichuan Daily, Sichuan TV and cbgc.scol.com.cn, etc.


The Lianghekou hybrid pumped storage project, developed and constructed by the Yalong River Hydropower Development Co., Ltd. (Yalong Hydro), is a cascade pumped storage project located in the middle reaches of the Yalong River and also the largest of its kind in the world. It is the first hybrid pumped storage project of the country’s large clean energy bases to start construction and also a large-type pumped storage project with its site on the highest altitude in China.

With an altitude of 3,000 meters, the Lianghekou hybrid pumped storage power station has a planned installation of four reversible hydro-generator units, each with a capacity of 300 MW. Combined with the existing 3000 MW installed capacity, total installed capacity of the project is expected to reach 4200 MW when completed.


SDIC Chairman Fu Gangfeng said that the mega Yalong River clean energy base enjoyed advantageous resources and played an important role in SDIC’s commitment to implementing the central government’s decision to realize the country’s carbon emission peak and carbon neutrality goals, safeguarding national energy security and promoting social-economic development. SDIC Group would adhere to the principle of simultaneous development and safety, actively play its role of a strategic pillar of state-owned capital in the sector of green and low carbon economy, and go all out to promote the clean energy development in the entire Yalong River basin in accordance with the guideline of unified planning, step-by-step implementation and demonstration at early stage so as to generate more clean power for the green transition of China’s social-economic development and provide strong support to China’s drive to realize carbon emission peak and carbon neutrality goals.


Fu said that in the process of promoting the Yalong River basin clean energy development, SDIC Group would adhere to the principle of responsible investment, maximize the creation of economic, social and environmental comprehensive value and build a better future through investment. The Group would continue to play its role in stimulating the local economic and social development through project investment, and turn natural resources in the ethnic majority regions into economic advantages of sustainable development so as to maintain the sound ecological environment while creating economic benefit to the locals, continue to make efforts in connecting poverty reduction work with rural revitalization, and make its contributions to building China into a modern socialist country in every dimension.



CCTV News Channel, CCTV Finance Channel and CCTV Chinese International Channel all reported on the Lianghekou hybrid pumped storage project. SDIC President Wang Haibo was interviewed by CCTV News Channel, introducing the gigantic clean energy project.


Qi Ningchun, Chairman of Yalong Hydro, said that starting construction of the Lianghekou hybrid pumped storage project is an important move of Yalong Hydro in implementing the deployment of China on energy security, accelerating the construction of a new electricity system and providing more clean energy to the country’s development of green transition. The Lianghekou hybrid pumped storage project would become the world’s largest hydro, wind, photovoltaic and pumped storage power complementary project, which was expected to have a demonstration effect on promoting new energy generation and building a clean, low carbon, safe and highly efficient energy system.


Located at Yajiang county, the Gartze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province, the Lianghekou hybrid pumped storage project will use the reservoir of the Lianghekou hydropower plant on the Yalong River as the upper reservoir and the reservoir of the Yagen cascade-I hydropower station as the lower reservoir of the new facility, be installed with reversible hydro generator units and form the Lianghekou hybrid pumped storage power station.


The Lianghekou hybrid pumped storage project is the first such project in Sichuan Province and its construction is a milestone in the development of Sichuan’s power industry. It is also of great importance in guaranteeing the national energy security, promoting green and low carbon development and improving the power supply capability of the province. In the meantime, it has a guiding and demonstrating effect in the fields of optimizing the structure of power grid and power sources, driving large-scale and centralized development of clean energy, supporting the construction of a solid and complementary power grid, building up a clean, low carbon, safe and highly efficient power system and helping realize the carbon emission peak and carbon neutrality goals.


Initial estimates show that Lianghekou and its surrounding areas are rich in new energy resources, with potential capacity of wind power and photovoltaic power surpassing 2000 MW. But both wind power and photovoltaic power have intermittent, volatile and random features. The Lianghekou hydropower station, however, can provide complementary power to the 3500 MW wind and photovoltaic power. With its unique capacity of pumping water and generating electricity, the Lianghekou pumped storage power station with an installed capacity of 1200 MW can further complement the wind power and photovoltaic power stations in its surrounding areas. Through the integrated development of hydropower, photovoltaic power and wind power, the Lianghekou hybrid pumped storage power station and the Lianghekou hydropower station will be able to provide stable power supply of about 700 MW and promote the integrated and centralized development of hydropower, wind power and photovoltaic power in the Yalong River basin.


The start of the construction of the Lianghekou hybrid pumped storage power station lays the foundation for the establishment of hydro, wind, photovoltaic and pumped storage complementary green, clean and renewable energy demonstration base with the Lianghekou hydropower station at the center, has a demonstration effect on the integrated and comprehensive development of hydro, wind, photovoltaic and pumped storage power generation, is an active exploration in the building of a new type electricity system with new energy as the main power source and is of reference for future development of green, clean and renewable power.


A computer illustration of the hydro, wind, photovoltaic and pumped storage complementary green, clean and renewable energy demonstration base with the Lianghekou hydropower station at the center.


To contribute to China’s carbon emission peak and carbon neutrality goals, SDIC Group and Sichuan Provincial Investment Group Co., Ltd. have jointly invested in Yalong Hydro in which SDIC Group holds s a controlling share. Yalong Hydro is authorized by the country to completely take charge of the construction and management of the Yalong River cascade hydropower stations. It has drafted a “four-stage” strategy of hydropower resources, new energy and pumped storage development along the Yalong River basin, and is going all out to promote the construction of the Yalong River basin clean energy base.


Since the Yalong River basin clean energy base was included in 14th Five-Year Plan, the world’s largest hydro and photovoltaic complementary power station -- the Kela photovoltaic power station, and the country’s first batch of large-type wind-photovoltaic base project -- the Laba Mountain Wind Farm, etc., have started construction. Yalong Hydro is accelerating its pace in promoting the integrated development of the Yalong River basin hydro, wind and photovoltaic resources and has constantly made new progresses in construction of the new energy base.


Yalong Hydro is the largest power enterprise in Sichuan Province, with nearly 2 GW of generator units already in operation and nearly 0.6 GW of generator units currently under installation. Once completed, the Yalong River basin hydro, wind and photovoltaic integrated power base will be able to generate more than 280 billion kilowatt hours of electricity per year, which is equivalent to cutting down the use of 85 million tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by about 230 million tons each year.


Guarantee power supply and optimize power source structures based on strong pumped storage and adjustment capability

At present, pumped storage is the most-frequently-used large-scale energy storage technology and is mainly used to adjust the power supply fluctuates of electricity system and reserve for emergency use. It has the advantages of mature technology, high efficiency, large capacity and unconstrained cycle of power storage.


A mixed pumped storage power station has the features of both pumped storage power generation and river runoff hydropower generation. The reservoir of the hydropower station has sufficient supply of natural river runoff, which on the one hand uses the natural river runoff to generate electricity and creates comprehensive utilization of water, and on the other hand, serves the tasks of adjusting the fluctuates of electricity supply and reserving for emergency use. Compared with conventional pumped storage power station, a mixed pumped storage power station, because of its utilization of the existing reservoirs, enjoys the advantages of less investment, less inundation loss, no need to resettle inhabitants, lesser impact on the environment and short construction terms, etc., and therefore is more economical and more competitive in the market.


The Lianghekou hybrid pumped storage power station is a key project of Sichuan Province in the 14th Five-Year Plan period.


At present, the K value of mixed-flow pump turbine at domestic pumped storage power stations either in operation or under construction does not exceed 1.3 while that abroad is no more than 1.48. Therefore, there is no mature experiences for domestic reference and the turbine type selection and design of the Lianghekou hybrid pumped storage power station face the toughest challenge in the world.

To ensure the reliability, safety and economic feasibility of turbine unit selection for the Lianghekou hybrid pumped storage power station, the Yalong River Hydropower United Design Institute, equipment manufacturers and top domestic experts in the field conducted thorough research and assessment so as to break the technical bottleneck, enhance the R&D of advanced pumped storage generator units, secure the stable operation of generator units and further promote the development of pumped storage generator unit technologies in the world.


A computer illustration of extra-wide waterhead, amplitude of variation and large capacity generator unit for the Lianghekou hybrid pumped storage power station.


The selection and follow-up success in R&D and application of the technology roadmap of the extra-wide waterhead, amplitude of variation and large capacity generator unit for the Lianghekou hybrid pumped storage power station indicate the start of the application of such technology in the country and are expected to set a new record in the industry. In the meantime, it is also expected to help save 350 million RMB yuan for the gigantic project, efficiently improve the economic feasibility of generator unit operation and further promote the development of the country’s pumped storage generator unit technology.


The first large-type pumped storage power station in Sichuan Province, the Lianghekou hybrid pumped storage power station faces the challenges of how to better match hydropower project with new energy project so as to optimize its efficiency, which a tough issue to be handled by domestic leading technology consultation institutes and expert teams. An innovation-driven company, Yalong Hydro implements the whole process unified management that covers feasibility study, project completion, project assessment, project acceptance, technical consultations, economic consultations and engineering supervision. This offers a strong support to survey, design, construction, project completion and project assessment-acceptance of the Lianghekou hybrid pumped storage power station. Through public bidding, the company chose the best available technology, survey and design providers in the country which guarantees the technical and economic advancement and reliability of the project.


The whole process technical and economic consultation services help efficiently solve the problems during the construction of the project, and strengthen coordination between project owner and all participating work units in the construction of the project, which is of great importance in improving project quality and increasing investment benefits.


Promote high quality social-economic development and rural revitalization in regions inhabited by ethnic majorities.


Construction of the Lianghekou hybrid pumped storage project will give a strong push to the development of related industries such as building materials and transportation.Yalong Hydro firmly implements the decisions of the Central Government on solidifying the achievements of poverty elimination and boosting rural revitalization. On the basis of the construction of the large hydropower projects such as Lianghekou, Yalong Hydro further promotes the integrated development of pumped storage and new energy and turns resource advantage into economic advantage through the synergy of project, industry and economy development in the region.


Construction of the Lianghekou hybrid pumped storage project will help the local government to get a substantial increase of fiscal revenue, give a strong push to the development of the local building materials and transportation industries, further increase the ratio of the secondary and tertiary industries in the local GDP and become a new economic growth engine for the region. The Lianghekou hybrid pumped storage project has a total investment of 8.5 billion RMB yuan, will provide employment opportunities for 3,000 people each year and annually contribute 130 million RMB yuan to the local coffer when completed and put into operation, which will help promote the implementation of the local social-economic development and rural revitalization strategy.


 

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