https://j.people.com.cn/n3/2025/1226/c95952-20407292.html
According to the Three Gorges Corporation , the first unit of the Tiantai Pumped-Storage Power Plant in Zhejiang Province has officially connected to the grid and begun power generation. The unit has a single-unit capacity of 425,000 kW, making it the largest single-unit pumped-storage power generator in China.
The previously announced “Mid- to Long-Term Development Plan for Pumped-Storage Hydropower (2021-2035)” clearly states the goal of creating a modern pumped-storage hydropower industry with advanced technology, excellent management, and high international competitiveness, aiming to increase the total operational capacity of pumped-storage hydropower to over 62 million kW by 2025, approximately 120 million kW by 2030, and meet the demand for a high proportion and large-scale introduction of new energy by 2035, thereby fostering a group of large core enterprises in the pumped-storage hydropower sector.
According to industry sources, compared to conventional hydropower, the reversible pump turbine installed in pumped-storage hydropower has bidirectional energy conversion capabilities. In response to fluctuations in peak and off-peak electricity demand, the difference in head between the upper and lower reservoirs is utilized, and during periods of low electricity demand, electricity is used to pump water from the lower reservoir to the upper reservoir, storing it as potential energy. On the other hand, during periods of high electricity demand, the system converts stored potential energy back into electricity.
The Zhejiang Tiantai Pumped Storage Power Plant is a key project under the “14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025)” of the national “Medium- and Long-Term Development Plan for Pumped Storage Power (2021-2035).” It will install four reversible pump turbines with individual capacities of 425,000 kW, bringing the total installed capacity to 1.7 million kW. Upon completion, the project will provide the East China power grid with flexible supply and demand adjustment capabilities, boosting the consumption of new energy and ensuring the safe and stable operation of the power grid.
