Jixi Pumped Storage Power Station

The Jixi Pumped Storage Power Station (Chinese: 绩溪抽水蓄能电站) is a pumped-storage hydroelectric power station currently under construction in Jixi County, Anhui Province, China. Studies were carried out in 2008 and construction began in December 2010. It is expected to last 6 years.[2][3] As of April 2017 the dam is completed.[4] First turbine was commissioned in December 2019, followed by second in May 2020 and third and fourth in August 2020. The last two units are scheduled for commissioning by March 2021.[5]

The pumped-storage power plant will operate by using two reservoirs to generate power, an upper and a lower. During periods of high energy demand, water is released from the upper reservoir and sent to the power station to generate electricity. After power generation, the water is discharged into the lower reservoir. When energy demand is low, such as at night, water is pumped back up to the upper reservoir as stored energy. The process repeats as needed and the pump-generators serve the dual-role of both pumping and generating electricity. Forming the lower reservoir will be a 63.9 m (210 ft) tall and 480 m (1,575 ft) long concrete-face rock-fill dam (CFRD). Its storage capacity will be 10,944,000 m³ (8,872 acre⋅ft) of which 8,670,000 m³ (7,029 acre⋅ft) is active (or 'usable') for pumping. The upper reservoir will be formed by a CFRD as well, this one will be 114.2 m (375 ft) tall and 330 m (1,083 ft) long, withholding a 10,598,000 m³ (8,592 acre⋅ft) man-made lake. The normal elevation of the lower reservoir will be 339.3 m (1,113 ft) and the upper 961 m (3,153 ft). This difference in elevation affords a rated hydraulic head of 599 m (1,965 ft). The power station will be located underground near the bank of the lower reservoir and contain six 300 MW Francis pump turbine-generators.[6]