Tonglu hydropower plant breaks ground

The Tonglu pumped storage power station breaks ground in Tonglu county, East China's Zhejiang province on Nov 20. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The Tonglu pumped storage power station - the largest project in terms of investment value ever launched in Tonglu county, East China's Zhejiang province - broke ground on Nov 20.

Pumped storage hydropower is a type of hydroelectric energy storage. It is a configuration in which two water reservoirs at different elevations generate power as water travels from one turbine to other.                 

The station in Tonglu will have a total installed capacity of 1,400 MW and can generate 1.68 billion kilowatt hours of electricity each year. The facility has a water head of 531 meters. Head refers to the change in water levels between the hydro intake and the hydro discharge point.

The station's first power unit is slated to be put into use after 58 months.

The pumped storage power station has been listed as a key project to be constructed in Zhejiang during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period.