In the mountainous valleys of karst rocky desertification in southern Yunnan, the Xichou Pumped Storage Power Station in Yunnan has officially started construction. This large-scale pumped storage project rooted in rocky desertification areas is writing a new development paradigm for the Southwest Clean Energy Regulation Network.

The first large-scale pumped storage project in southern Yunnan has landed

On September 28, 2026, the key project of the national pumped storage plan, Yunnan Xichou Pumped Storage Power Station, began construction. This is the first large-scale pumped storage project in southern Yunnan, with an installed capacity of 1.2 million kilowatts and a total investment of about 8 billion yuan, and the installation of four 300000 kilowatt units. During peak electricity consumption, the power station can convert 1.16 million cubic meters of clean water energy into 1.2 million kilowatt hours of clean electricity per hour, meeting the daily electricity needs of approximately 200000 residential users.

As an important regulatory node of Yunnan's clean energy province, the power station is expected to be fully completed and put into operation in the early 16th Five Year Plan period. It can consume 2.16 billion kilowatt hours of clean energy annually, reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 1.9 million tons, and provide strong support for the stable integration of 8 million kilowatts of wind and photovoltaic power into the power grid in southern Yunnan.

Exploring and developing new paradigms in rocky desertification areas

The Xichou Power Station is located in a karst rocky desertification area, with complex geological conditions and construction difficulties far exceeding those of conventional pumped storage projects. The project team, taking into account the unique geographical environment of the site, will expand and construct the upper reservoir based on natural depressions, using full basin anti-seepage technology. The lower reservoir will be directly dammed into a reservoir on the Dama River, with an overall excavation volume of less than 30% of the total storage capacity. Keywords: New energy news, energy storage, pumped storage power station

The project also optimized the layout of the units, adjusting the original one hole four machines to one hole two machines, reducing the excavation diameter of the waterway, improving the construction technology of the water supply system, and adjusting the reinforced concrete lining to steel pipe lining, fully meeting the stability requirements of mountain cave excavation. The entire construction process of the project will drive nearly 18 billion yuan in upstream and downstream investment in the industrial chain, create about 5000 job opportunities, and inject sustained momentum into the industrial development and economic quality improvement of the local revolutionary old areas.Editor/Cheng Liting