State Grid Corp. of China, the nation's largest state-owned grid operator and power utility, has inaugurated the Fukang pumped-storage power station in northwest China's Xinjiang region.

The plant features three 300 MW turbines and has a total capacity of 1.2 GW, the company said in a press release, noting that the facility is the first of its kind in northwestern China. It said the turbines will be put into operation one after another in early 2024. Construction began in October 2020.

“The Fukang pumped-storage power station can significantly improve Xinjiang's power grid regulation capacity and energy supply,” State Grid said. “It can ensure the stable delivery of large-scale new energy, and generate an additional 2.6 billion kWh of new energy annually.”

In January 2022, the company commissioned China's largest pumped hydro project – the 3.6 GW Fengning Pumped Storage Power Station in Hebei province. The construction of the $1.87 billion project, which was implemented in two 1.8 GW phases, was started by engineering company China Gezhouba in 2014.

 

According to the National Energy Administration, China is targeting 62 GW of operational pumped-hydro facilities by 2025 and 120 GW by 2030.