Combining abandoned mine treatment and eco-tourism, Shanxi has been building more pumped-storage power stations, creating a new path for the coordinated development of the energy revolution and environmental improvement. 

The Shanxi Xilongchi Pumped-storage Power Station in Wutai county of Xinzhou is the first of its kind in Shanxi and was put into operation in 2008. 

"The average annual number of startups of the Xilongchi Pumped-storage Power Station has increased more than seven-fold, and its power generation exceeded 700 million kWh in 2021, which means that the growth rate of new energy development in Shanxi has accelerated," said Liu Guiren, chairman of Shanxi Xilongchi Pumped-storage Power Station Co. 

Pumped storage will optimize the power structure of the power system through pumped power generation, reduce the scale of coal-fired thermal power units in the system, and achieve energy conservation and emissions reduction. More pumped storage power stations have also played a role in balancing the volatility of wind power with photovoltaic power generation.

In recent years, Shanxi has been building pumped-storage power stations and treating abandoned mines while exploring the "pumped storage + new energy" and "pumped storage + tourism" development paths to optimize the layout of pumped storage projects in the province.

In the future, Shanxi will accelerate the construction of a number of eco-friendly pumped-storage power stations to meet the development needs of new energy. 

"In the future, pumped storage energy will become the main energy storage power source in Shanxi, and the utilization rate of new energy is expected to reach 100 percent," said Liu Guiren.