On June 12, 2026, the Hydroelectric and Water Resources Planning and Design Institute released four annual reports on renewable energy in Beijing, revealing a landmark signal: by 2025, the new renewable energy generation in China will fully cover the increase in electricity consumption of the whole society, and the new energy consumption for economic growth will be fully supported by green electricity for the first time. The structure of China's power supply is undergoing fundamental changes.

Pumped storage enters the era of billions of kilowatts

Pumped storage, as a mature and economically efficient green and flexible power source, is the core force in ensuring the safe and stable operation of the power system. In 2025, the industry will maintain rapid development, with 27 newly approved power stations with an installed capacity of 35.8 million kilowatts and 7.48 million kilowatts of new production. The total scale of production and operation in China will reach 65.94 million kilowatts, ranking first in the world for 10 consecutive years.

The development of the industry has shifted from scale expansion to emphasizing both scale and quality. During the 15th Five Year Plan period, China will add about 100 million kilowatts of pumped storage energy, officially entering a new development cycle of billions of kilowatts.

From Eastern dominance to East West synergy

The technological roadmap and spatial layout are being upgraded synchronously. During the 14th Five Year Plan period, pumped storage was mainly based on fixed speed units, with innovation concentrated in the field of engineering construction. During the 15th Five Year Plan period, full chain digital and intelligent technologies such as intelligent construction and intelligent operation and maintenance will be widely applied to better meet the demand for flexible adjustment of resources in the new power system. In terms of layout, it has shifted from being dominated by the eastern load center to a new pattern of coordinated development between the eastern load center and the western new energy enrichment area, with closer coordination with new energy, effectively stabilizing output fluctuations, and significantly improving consumption levels. Keywords: new energy, pumped storage power station

When green power first supported all new energy consumption, and pumped storage led the world for ten consecutive years, China's energy transformation has entered a qualitative leap from quantity accumulation. At the beginning of the 15th Five Year Plan, a new type of power system driven by east-west collaboration and digital intelligence is accelerating its formation.Editor/Cheng Liting