The Jurong pumped storage power project located in the Jiangsu Province of China comprises six generating units for a total capacity of 1.35GW.

State Grid Xinyuan Company, a subsidiary of the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC), is building the hydroelectric facility with an estimated investment of £1.11bn ($1.4bn).

China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) approved the pumped storage project in June 2016. While the preliminary works were started in December 2016, the main construction works on the project were started in April 2018.

The first unit of the Jurong pumped-storage hydroelectric power facility is expected to come online in 2022 with the commissioning of the remaining units expected by 2024.

At full capacity, the power station will consume up to 1.8 billion kWh of pumped power and generate up to 1.35 billion kWh of electricity a year.

Location and site details

The Jurong pumped storage power project is located approximately 26km away from Jurong city in the Jiangsu province of China.

With the Nanjing and Zhenjiang cities located 65km and 36km away from the project site, the power station will serve the load centres of the Jiangsu power grid.

Jurong pumped-storage facility make-up

The Jurong pumped storage hydroelectric facility will comprise an underground powerhouse, upper and lower reservoirs connected through a water delivery system, and a ground switch station.

The powerhouse will be equipped with six 225MW single-stage, vertical shaft, mixed-flow, reversible pump-turbine units for a total rated power output of 1,350MW.

Reservoir and dam details

The Jurong power station will utilise an upper and a lower reservoir dam created by a 182.3m-high and a 37.2m-high dam in the Lunshan Lake.

The main dam of the upper reservoir has a crest length of 810m and a crest height of 272.4m. With a normal storage level of 267m, the upper reservoir’s total storage capacity will be more than 17 million cubic metres (mcm), while the lower reservoir will have a storage level of 81m and a total storage capacity of more than 20mcm.

Power evacuation

The electricity generated by the Jurong pumped storage power station will be evacuated to the Jiangsu power grid through a 500kV transmission line.

Contractors involved

Harbin Electric Group was contracted for the supply of six pump-turbine units and auxiliary equipment for the Jiangsu pumped storage power project in October 2018.

Harbin Electric subcontracted Hangzhou Huachen Electric Control Engineering (HCECE) for procurement of generator voltage loop switchgear and its auxiliary equipment in November 2020.

Sixth Bureau of Hydropower was contracted for the electrical and mechanical installation works of the Jiangsu Jurong pumped-storage power station in October 2020.

China Gezhouba Second Company was engaged in the main civil construction and metal structure installation.

Hong Mail Technology was engaged for safety monitoring services during the project construction in November 2019, while China East China Survey, Design and Research Institute Company were engaged for the design and supervision of the project.

Jurong pumped-storage power project background

The Jurong pumped storage power project was approved by NRDC in March 2013. Undertaken as part of the 13th Five Year Plan period, the project is intended to provide peak regulation, frequency modulation, phase modulation, and emergency backup services for the Jiangsu power grid.

Once operational, the pumped storage facility is expected to offset up to 134,00t of coal consumption and approximately 333,000t of CO2 emissions a year.