In 2023, China's pumped storage capacity continued to maintain rapid growth, and the approved scale during the 14th Five-Year Plan period has accumulated more than 100 million kilowatts. According to the recently released Pumped Storage Industry Development Report 2022, the total resources of pumped storage stations in China have been included in the planning of about 823 million kilowatts, and the installed capacity has been built and approved to reach 170 million kilowatts.

The industry believes that pumped storage power stations highlight the value of power supply assurance and energy transformation, and have great potential for future development. However, we must also pay attention to the fact that some local plans far exceed the reasonable scale of local needs. It is understood that the National Energy Board is organizing the optimization of the layout of pumped storage to promote the sound and rapid development of pumped storage.

Fourteen five completed the approval of 100 million kilowatts

On June 28, the national 14th Five-Year key implementation project - Chongqing Fengjie Caiziba million kilowatt pumped storage project officially started construction, which is China's first large-scale pumped storage power station in complex karst areas. After completion, it is expected to provide 1.14 billion KWH of peak electricity per year, and it is planned that the first unit will generate electricity in 2029, and all units will be put into operation in 2030. Just before June 14, Guangdong Centian, Shanxi Puxian and Jiangsu Lianyungang three pumped storage power stations were approved on the same day, and the total approved scale of pumped storage during the 14th Five-Year Plan period in China exceeded 100 million kilowatts.

Since 2021, China's pumped storage industry has ushered in explosive growth, especially in 2022, the approved scale reached a record high, 700 meters of ultra-high water head, single capacity of 400,000 kilowatts of large capacity Yangjiang pumped storage power station, the highest latitude of the country's desert pumped storage power station, A series of typical projects such as the Changlongshan pumped storage power Station, which has the second highest rated head in the world and the highest in China, have been fully put into operation, marking a major leap in the technical level of the whole industrial chain, including the design, construction, equipment manufacturing and equipment installation of pumped storage power stations.

Xiong Minfeng, deputy director of the New Energy Department of the National Energy Administration, said that in 2022, 48 newly approved pumped storage projects in the country, with an installed capacity of 68.9 million kilowatts, more than the approved scale of the 13th Five-Year Plan period, and 8.8 million kilowatts of new production throughout the year, a record high.

According to the report jointly released by the General Institute of Hydropower and Water Conservancy Planning and Design and the Pumped storage Industry Branch of the China Hydropower Engineering Society, by the end of 2022, the total resources of pumped storage stations in China have been included in the planning of about 823 million kilowatts, of which 45.79 million kilowatts have been built and 121 million kilowatts are under construction.

The pumped storage industry has taken shape in a sound, fast and high-quality development pattern, serving more diversified customers, developing more innovative business formats, and highlighting its value in power supply assurance and energy transformation. Zhao Zenghai, vice president of the General Institute of Hydropower Planning and Design and vice chairman of the Pumped Storage Industry Branch of the China Hydropower Engineering Society, gave a set of data: In 2022, pumped storage units will be activated with the commissioning, generating and pumping electricity increased by 20% year-on-year, generating and pumping start-up times increased by 6% and 16% year-on-year, and a total of 4075 units will participate in frequency modulation, an increase of 64.31% year-on-year, effectively responding to the growing flexible regulation needs of dual-high power systems.

Li Sheng, president of the General Institute of Hydropower Planning and Design, estimates that by 2025, the scale of China's pumped storage power plants will be about 62 million kilowatts, and the installed capacity of China's pumped storage power plants will be about 160 million to 180 million kilowatts in 2030.

Investment diversification has basically taken shape

Behind the development of pumped storage industry into the fast lane, is the urgent need to achieve the dual carbon goal and the strong promotion of policies. At present, it is in a critical period of green and low-carbon energy transformation and development, with the large-scale and high proportion of new energy sources such as wind and light, and the demand for flexible adjustment capacity and energy storage capacity of new power systems has increased significantly. Li Sheng, president of the General Institute of Hydropower and Water Conservancy Planning and Design, said that pumped storage power station has a variety of functions such as peak load, valley fill, energy storage, flexible start and stop, fast response speed, and strong peak load capacity, which is an important support for the construction of a new energy system and the realization of dual carbon goals.

Following the introduction of policies in 2011 to comprehensively regulate the price mechanism of pumped storage power stations, in May this year, the National Development and Reform Commission issued the Notice on the Capacity Price of pumped storage power stations and related Matters (Development and Reform Price (2023) No. 533), which approved the capacity price of 48 pumped storage power stations to be put into operation before the end of 2025. It has injected strong impetus into the construction and development of pumped storage power stations.

Local pumped storage project management is also being further strengthened. In 2022, the provincial level began to study pumped storage project management measures. It is expected that in 2023, other provinces will also introduce pumped storage management systems to guide the rapid and high-quality development of pumped storage in this province. Zhao Zenghai said.

It is worth noting that with the deepening of the reform of China's electric power system and mechanism, a diversified pattern of pumped storage investment entities has basically taken shape, stimulating the vitality of the market. According to reports, before 2021, China's pumped storage power stations are mainly constructed and managed by power grid operators such as the State Grid and the Southern Power Grid, and in 2014, a diversified market-oriented investment system and mechanism introducing social capital began to be gradually established. By 2022, traditional power supply enterprises such as Three Gorges, Power China, Guoneng, State Power Investment, Huadian, local enterprises such as Hangzhou Iron and Steel Group and Hunan Xiangtou Group, and enterprises such as China South-to-North Water Transfer Group have begun to enter the field of pumped storage construction, and the industry investment capacity has been greatly enhanced.

According to the report, among the projects approved in 2022, there are 18 investment entities, and 40 investment entities are currently carrying out preliminary work. Design units have also increased from the traditional 6 to 20, basically realizing the diversification of design subjects.

Anchor the dual carbon target

In order to achieve the dual-carbon goal, China also needs to build a large number of new energy sources and flexible power supplies to go with it. At the same time, most of China's provinces (regions, cities) flexible power supply is still dominated by thermal power, in order to achieve the dual carbon goal, but also need to gradually replace, according to China's resource conditions, the future demand for pumped storage is very urgent. China hydropower Engineering Society vice chairman, secretary general Zheng Sheng 'an said.

According to the report, by the end of 2022, a total of 139 projects across the country have passed the pre-feasibility study report review, with a total installed capacity of 177 million kilowatts. 74 projects have passed the three special reviews in the feasibility stage, with a total installed capacity of 96.89 million kilowatts. 35 projects have passed the feasibility study report review, with a total installed capacity of 49.03 million kilowatts.

Some places attach too much importance to the role of pumped storage in promoting local economic development, and are eager to put forward large-scale new tax regulation projects, which far exceed the reasonable scale of local demand, and may bring adverse effects such as investment waste. Zhao Zenghai pointed out.

Xiong Minfeng said that at present, the National Energy Administration is carrying out a mid-term assessment on the implementation of the 14th Five-Year Plan to further clarify development expectations; Anchoring carbon to peak carbon neutrality and accelerating the implementation of renewable energy alternatives; We will organize and optimize the layout of pumped storage and promote the sound and rapid development of pumped storage.Editor/Ma Xue