The upgrading of green energy storage in the grasslands outside the Great Wall, with the dust settled on the preliminary project bidding, has officially taken substantive steps towards the construction of the Meidai large-scale pumped storage power station in Baotou, Inner Mongolia.

Recently, Inner Mongolia's energy construction has made significant progress. The key energy project of the 14th Five Year Plan of the autonomous region and the preliminary tunnel road project of the Meidai Pumped Storage Power Station with a total investment of 8.2 billion yuan have been announced as the winning bidder. The project has entered a critical stage of construction preparation, and the advantages of hydropower enterprises under the bidding of China Electric Power Construction Corporation are outstanding.

Overall scale parameters of the power station

The power station is located in Tumote Right Banner, Baotou City, with a total installed capacity of 1200MW, equipped with four 300MW units and a rated head of 298 meters. The hub includes upper and lower reservoirs, water conveyance corridors, and deeply buried underground powerhouses; The heights of the two dams are 115 meters and 67 meters respectively, with a total length of 2364 meters for the water transmission line and a burial depth of 220 to 310 meters for the factory building.

Scope of preliminary engineering

This bidding project is the foundation for the main construction, covering the main roads, various supporting caverns, switch station support, water replenishment and diversion facilities, etc., which directly affects the overall construction period. The project investment is 593 million yuan, and it will enter the site at the end of June 2026 and be completed by the end of July 2028.

The top three candidate units are all state-owned hydropower enterprises, with Electric Power Construction taking the top two spots: Hydroelectric Fourth Bureau quoted 504.050304 million yuan, ranking first, followed by Hydroelectric 16th Bureau, and China Aneng First Bureau ranked third. The first place offer is 89 million yuan less than the total investment, and the winner is based on the low price after meeting the technical standards. China Electric Power Construction undertakes the survey and construction of most domestic pumped storage projects, and its Beijing Survey Institute has won the preliminary design of this project; Hydroelectric Fourth Bureau has been deeply involved in the construction of complex underground caverns for many years, and the winning bid meets industry expectations.

Comprehensive implementation of project approval

The project was approved for environmental impact assessment on April 17, 2025 and completed on June 26, 2026. The winning bidder candidates are now announced, and the site supporting temporary construction project is about to start. Keywords:Chinese energy storage companies,Energy storage cluster,Energy storage base,Energy storage industry

The construction of power stations has dual strategic value, with a 1200MW installed capacity that can temporarily stabilize the Mengxi power grid, alleviate peak shaving pressure, and absorb surplus wind and solar power; Building reservoirs based on natural terrain, conserving water sources, and protecting the ecology of Yellow River tributaries. The accelerated implementation of the project will become the core energy project for Inner Mongolia to promote green and low-carbon transformation.Editor/Gong Ziwei