OREANDA-NEWS. June 14, 2013. Fengning Pumped Storage Power Station, a key project of the national energy development during its 12th Five Year Plan, began construction at the Fengning Man Autonomous County in Hebei Province. The project, constructed, operated, and managed by State Grid Xinyuan Company, is to be the world’s largest pumped storage facility to date.

Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the NPC and Chairman of China Democratic National Construction Association of Central Committee Chen Changzhi, Deputy Secretary of Hebei CPC Provincial Committee and Governor of People’s Government of Hebei Province Zhang Qingwei, Member of the Standing Committee of CPC of Hebei Province, Standing Deputy Governor of People’s Government of Hebei Province Yang Chongyong, and SGCC President Shu Yinbiao attended the construction mobilization meeting.

The power plant is scheduled at a total installed capacity of 3.6GW, built in two phases. The first phase will install 6 reversible pump turbine units, each with a capacity of 300MW, which totals 3.6GW. The designed annual power generation is 3.424TWh with 4.565TWh of corresponding pumped water. The first phase has a total investment of 9.947 billion yuan with 86-month construction period. The generation duration for the first generator is 66 months.

Upon its completion, the station will be connected to Beijing-Tianjin-North Hebei grid with two 500kV lines for peak shaving, frequency modulation, phase modulation and emergency backup. It will also be used as large-capacity power storage for the system, which will play an important role to accelerate scaled development of wind power, solar power and other REs in northern Hebei, meet the need for grid peak shaving, maintain the safe and stable operation of the grid, enhance power supply quality and the economy of grid operation, and utilize resources more efficiently. At the same time, the power station will boost local employment, facilitate tourism and farming industries, promote energy saving and emission reduction, help with climate change and have significant social, ecological and economic benefits.

Chen Changzhi congratulated on the construction as a dream eventually came true. He said electric power companies represented by SGCC were playing an important role to promote the construction of pumped storage power stations, maintain the safe and economic operation of the grid, and solve peak shaving problems. The power plant is a major project to propel the development of strategic new industries, transform the economic development mode, and promote low-carbon economy. It is also a supporting project for a leapfrog and green development in Fengning. He hoped that the power station could help immigrants with poverty alleviation, strengthen ecological environment protection, realize the harmony between the project and the environment, and drive up the local economic development.

Yang Chongyong expressed his appreciation for SGCC’s long-term support for the socio-economic development in Hebei and affirmed the achievements made by Hebei Electric Power in recent years. He said the scale of the grids in Hebei doubled during the 11th Five Year, which was equivalent to creating another Hebei grid in 5 years. Its investment was going to increase during the 12th Five Year with an annual input 1.5 times of that during the 11th Five Year. The Fengning Pumped Storage Power Station is a vital project to promote the green economic ring circling the capital and a key project for the Hebei Provincial Government and SGCC to implement the guiding principles of the 18th Party Congress, and benefit the people in Hebei. The provincial CPC committee and the government will support SGCC as always to build the power grids in Hebei.

SGCC sees the project as an important national energy project and a green, civic and key project to implement the guiding spirit of the 18th Party Congress, accelerate the construction of the Strong and Smart Grid and serve the socio-economic development in Hebei Province. The project involves heavy workload with a lot of difficulties and a great significance. However, the schedule is tight. Relevant departments and units of SGCC will work closely with each other to build the station into a safe, reliable, environmental-friendly, ecologically harmonious quality project of the country with scientific management and advanced technology, which will benefit the society and its people.

SGCC EVP Yu Xinqiang attended the mobilization meeting and delivered a speech. SGCC EVP and director of the North China Branch Sun Gang presided over the event, which was also attended by people from relevant departments and units of SGCC.

It’s learned that the preliminary preparation for Fengning Pumped Storage Power Station began in 1996. The project finished its site selection plan and its pre-feasibility study report in 2001. The National Development and Reform Commission approved the feasibility study report in 2010 and by then the project had obtained all the government documents. In August 2012, the NDRC officially issued the approval. Currently all preparation is in place and the project is ready for construction.