The Zhanghewan Pumped Storage Power Station is a pumped-storage

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

power station located southwest of

Shijiazhuang Shijiazhuang (; ; Mandarin: ), formerly known as Shimen and romanized as Shihkiachwang, is the capital and most populous city of China’s North China's Hebei Province. Administratively a prefecture-level city, it is about southwest of Beijin ...

in Jingxing County of Hebei Province, China. Construction on the power station began on 6 December 2003 and the first unit was commissioned on 1 February 2009. The power station operates by shifting water between an upper and lower reservoir to generate electricity. The lower reservoir is created by the Zhanghewan Dam on the Gantao River which was built between 1977 and 1980, originally for irrigation. For this project the Zhanhewan Dam was raised . The Zhanghewan Upper Reservoir is on Laoyemiao Mountain, above the west side of the lower reservoir. During periods of low energy demand, such as at night, water is pumped from Zhanghewan Lower Reservoir up to the upper reservoir. When energy demand is high, the water is released back down to the lower reservoir but the pump turbines that pumped the water up now reverse mode and serve as generators to produce electricity. The process is repeated as necessary and the plant serves as a

peaking power plant Peaking power plants, also known as peaker plants, and occasionally just "peakers", are power plants that generally run only when there is a high demand, known as peak demand, for electricity. Because they supply power only occasionally, the power ...

. The lower reservoir is created by the Zhanghewan Dam, a tall

gravity dam A gravity dam is a dam constructed from concrete or stone masonry and designed to hold back water by using only the weight of the material and its resistance against the foundation to oppose the horizontal pressure of water pushing against it. ...

on the Gantao River. It can withhold up to . The upper reservoir is created by a tall and long circular rock-fill dam on Laoyemiao Mountain, to the west of the lower reservoir. It can withhold up to of water. Water from the upper reservoir is sent to the 1,200 MW

underground power station An underground power station is a type of hydroelectric power station constructed by excavating the major components (e.g. machine hall, penstocks, and tailrace) from rock, rather than the more common surface-based construction methods. One or mor ...

down near the lower reservoir through four long headrace/ penstock pipes. The drop in elevation between the upper and lower reservoir affords a

hydraulic head Hydraulic head or piezometric head is a specific measurement of liquid pressure above a vertical datum., 410 pages. See pp. 43–44., 650 pages. See p. 22. It is usually measured as a liquid surface elevation, expressed in units of length, ...

(water drop) of .

References

{{reflist Dams in China Pumped-storage hydroelectric power stations in China 2009 establishments in China Energy infrastructure completed in 2009 Dams completed in 2009 Rock-filled dams Hydroelectric power stations in Hebei Gravity dams Buildings and structures in Shijiazhuang Underground power stations

See also

References