At an altitude of over 3000 meters on the snowy plateau of Garze, Sichuan, a steel giant known as a giant green power bank is awakening.

On March 26, 2026, with the release of a bidding announcement for a service period of 3165 days, the world's highest large-scale pumped storage power station, the Yalong River Daofu Pumped Storage Power Station, officially ended its long preparation period and entered the survey and design stage.

This is not only another milestone in the development of clean energy in the Yalong River Basin, but also marks China's once again charging towards the roof of the world in the field of high-altitude and large capacity energy storage technology.

The key leap from blueprint to actual combat

The launch of this bidding is the result of the accumulation and development of the Daofu Pumped Storage Project. As an important part of the national energy strategy, the total installed capacity of this project is as high as 2.1 million kilowatts, and its construction period spans nearly ten years (service period until December 2034). Looking back at the past four years, the pace of project progress has been tight and efficient: from the pre feasibility study review in October 2022, to the approval of the Provincial Development and Reform Commission in November 2023, to the feasibility study review in 2024 and the approval of the 2025 deepening design report, Daofu Pumped Storage has taken solid and steady steps step by step.

The qualification requirements for bidders in this bidding can be considered hardcore: they must possess comprehensive Class A engineering design or Class A qualifications in the power industry, and the project leader must have the title of senior engineer and rich experience in high-altitude projects. This high threshold aims to ensure that this super project can be safely and efficiently advanced in extreme environments, with a focus on ensuring the rigid goal of the first unit being put into operation in 2028.

Super engineering that challenges the limits

Unlike plain power stations, Daofu pumped storage faces world-class challenges such as high-altitude hypoxia and complex geology. As a key puzzle of the clean energy base in the Yalong River Basin, this project not only undertakes the responsibility of power grid peak regulation and valley filling, but also serves as a stabilizer to ensure regional energy security. According to the plan, the project is scheduled to introduce construction contractors to start the main project in the second half of 2026, striving to achieve the ultimate goal of full production by 2030. Keywords: energy storage, pumped storage power station, Yalong River Daofu pumped storage power station

The comprehensive launch of the Daofu Pumped Storage Power Station is not only a significant milestone on the clean energy map of Sichuan, but also a green miracle written by Chinese engineering builders in the forbidden zone of life. As the survey and design work deepens, this green heart standing on the top of the snow field will begin to beat.Editor/Cheng Liting