Recently, the Huangcaoyuan Pumped Storage Power Station in Daixian County, Shanxi Province, which is a key project in the national "14th Five Year Plan" for energy planning, has officially launched the bidding process for its key preliminary projects - the design, procurement, and construction general contracting (EPC) of the ventilation and safety tunnel and the access tunnel. This move marks that the massive project with a total investment of 10.9 billion yuan has fully entered the substantive construction stage, injecting strong impetus into optimizing the energy structure of North China and ensuring the safe and stable operation of the power grid.

Billion dollar investment builds the cornerstone of energy and empowers power grid peak shaving

The Huangcaoyuan Pumped Storage Power Station project in Daixian County, Shanxi Province is located in Daixian County, Xinzhou City, with a superior geographical location and convenient transportation. This project is listed as a key implementation project of the "14th Five Year Plan" in the "Medium and Long term Development Plan for Pumped Storage (2021-2035)", approved for construction by the Shanxi Provincial Development and Reform Commission. The project owner is Daixian Zhenghua Energy Development Co., Ltd., and the construction funds have been fully secured, of which 20% is capital and the rest is solved through bank loans.

The total installed capacity of the power station reaches 1400 megawatts, which is a first-class large-scale (1) project. The project will install four vertical shaft single-stage mixed flow reversible water pump turbine units with a single capacity of 350 megawatts. The hub project includes core buildings such as upper and lower reservoirs, water transmission systems, and underground powerhouses. After the completion of the project, it will be like a powerful power grid battery, mainly responsible for peak shaving, valley filling, energy storage, frequency regulation, and emergency backup tasks of the North China power grid. It can effectively mitigate the impact of intermittent new energy generation such as wind power and photovoltaics on the power grid, greatly enhance the consumption capacity of new energy, and promote the clean and low-carbon transformation of the energy structure.

EPC general contracting mode is launched, and key engineering nodes are clearly defined

This bidding adopts the engineering general contracting (EPC) mode, requiring the contractor to be responsible for the entire process from engineering survey, design, equipment procurement, construction to completion acceptance in a one-stop manner. This is conducive to integrating resources, controlling investment and construction period, and ensuring project quality.

The bidding scope specifically covers six major areas: ventilation and safety tunnel engineering, access tunnel engineering, environmental protection and soil and water conservation engineering, etc. Among them, the construction period of two key tunnels has been clarified: the planned construction period for the ventilation and safety tunnel is 274 days, tentatively scheduled from November 30, 2025 to August 31, 2026; The planned construction period for the access tunnel to the factory is 427 days, tentatively scheduled from November 30, 2025 to January 31, 2027. The bidding announcement emphasizes that the construction period will be based on the total calendar days, ensuring the rigidity and controllability of project progress management and laying a solid foundation for the overall smooth progress of the project.

Leading the high-quality development of the region, the project has entered a new stage

As a flagship project for energy development in Shanxi Province during the 14th Five Year Plan period, the construction significance of the Daixian Huangcaoyuan Pumped Storage Power Station goes far beyond the power station itself. It is not only a "stabilizer" and "regulator" to ensure power safety, but also a powerful engine for economic development. During the construction period, the project will directly drive local infrastructure construction, create a large number of job opportunities, and promote the development of related industries, continuously injecting new momentum into the high-quality economic and social development of Xinzhou City and even Shanxi Province. 

At present, the preliminary work of the project is progressing smoothly. The launch of this bidding work is like sounding the "charge" for the comprehensive construction of the project, marking that the project has officially entered the on-site construction stage from the planning and preparation stage. In the future, the project will strictly follow the planned milestones and make solid progress to ensure that this energy cornerstone project, which is related to the national economy and people's livelihood, is completed and put into operation as soon as possible, contributing solid strength to the green future of North China Power Grid.Editor/Cheng Liting