Deep in the Dabie Mountains, inside a ventilated and safe tunnel, a 190 meter long TBM excavator is steadily moving forward between the rock walls. The broken soil is continuously discharged outside the tunnel through a belt system. This scene is not from the daily maintenance of a mature tunnel, but from the construction site of the main project of Yuexi Pumped Storage Power Station.

Large power banks enter the core construction stage

On July 29, 2026, the main project of Yuexi Pumped Storage Power Station in Anhui Province officially started construction. The total installed capacity of the project is 1.2 million kilowatts, with 4 reversible units of 300000 kilowatts installed. The designed annual power generation is approximately 1.2 billion kilowatt hours. The power station is located in Huangwei Town, Yuexi County, with a total investment of about 7.5 billion yuan. The first unit is planned to be put into operation and generate electricity in May 2030.

The underground powerhouse and water transmission and power generation system that started construction this time are the core sections of the entire power station, covering construction content such as water transmission tunnels, underground powerhouses, metal structure installation, and safety monitoring. This is the 8th pumped storage power station constructed by State Grid in Anhui. After completion, it will become the "big power bank" of Anhui power grid - peak shaving and valley filling, frequency and phase modulation, emergency backup, and effectively undertake the large-scale grid connection demand of new energy in western Anhui.

Key password for compressing the construction period by 6 months

The innovative TBM tunnel boring machine for full scene construction is the biggest highlight of the project. Compared to traditional drilling and blasting methods, TBM integrates excavation, support, and slag removal into one, equipped with an intelligent integrated system that integrates advanced geological prediction and real-time support, forming a parallel operation of excavation support slag removal. With the premise of ensuring safety and quality, the construction period has been shortened by 6 months.

The power station officially started construction in March 2024, and in November 2025, the first large section TBM Anyue was successfully launched in the ventilation and safety tunnel, with an excavation diameter of 8.23 meters, undertaking the key tunnel excavation task of about 2200 meters. In January 2026, domestically produced TBM with the smallest turning radius will enter the power station; In April, small-diameter TBM started excavation construction in the self flowing drainage tunnel. At present, the ventilation and safety tunnels have been connected, and the construction of various key line tunnels is progressing in an orderly manner according to the plan.

As the roar of TBM tunneling machines continues to echo deep in the Dabie Mountains, this pumped storage power station is steadily advancing towards its 2030 production target through the replacement of machinery with human labor.Editor/Cheng Liting