The Fengning Pumped Storage Power Station, the world’s largest facility of its kind, has commenced full operations with the commissioning of its final variable-speed unit on December 31. Located in Fengning County, Hebei Province, near Beijing and Tianjin, the plant is a key part of China’s renewable energy infrastructure, supporting a nearby 10 GW wind and solar base in Zhangjiakou, which is located nearby.

Developed by State Grid Xinyuan Group Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of the State Grid Corporation of China, the project represents a total investment of CNY 19.24 billion ($2.6 billion). Construction began in May 2013 and took more than 11 years to complete. The plant features 12 reversible pump-turbine units, each with a capacity of 300 MW, including two variable-speed units, bringing the total installed capacity to 3.6 GW. It is designed to generate 6.61 TWh annually while consuming 8.71 TWh of electricity for pumping, and it connects to the North China power grid via four 500 kV transmission lines.