The Henan Tianchi project is a 1.2GW pumped storage hydroelectric power station under construction in the Henan province of China.
Henan Tianchi Pumped Storage Company, a subsidiary of State Grid Xin Yuan Company, is developing the project with an estimated investment of £765m ($1.04bn).
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China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) approved the project in June 2014, while the construction works were started in June 2015.
The first generating unit of the Henan Tianchi pumped storage facility is scheduled for commissioning in February 2023, with the remaining three units expected to come online by November 2023.
At full capacity, the Henan Tianchi power project is expected to generate up to 962-gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity a year.
Location and site details
The Henan Tianchi pumped storage hydropower station is located at Mashiping, Nanzhao County, Nanyang, in the Henan province of China.
The project site lies at the upper reaches of the Huangya River (Yellow River) Basin, in the Funiu Mountains.
Dam and reservoir details
The Henan Tianchi pumped storage power project will feature an upper reservoir created by a 118.4m-high concrete face rockfill dam (CFRD) with a crest length of 416m.
Located downstream of the junction of Fanjiagou and Paofanggou rivers, the upper reservoir will have a regulating storage capacity of 12.05 million cubic metres (Mcm), while the total storage capacity will be up to 14.05Mcm.
The lower reservoir of the project will be located downstream of the Luotuotou River. It will be created by a 100.6m-high CFRD and have an adjusted storage capacity of 12.03Mcm.
Henan Tianchi pumped storage power plant make-up
The Henan Tianchi pumped storage hydroelectric power plant will comprise an underground powerhouse equipped with four single-stage, vertical shaft Francis reversible pump turbine units of 300MW capacity each. The turbines will operate at a water head of 510m.
The project also involves the construction of a water delivery system, a ground switch station, a transformer tunnel, and a ventilation and safety tunnel.
Construction equipment and infrastructure facilities
The construction equipment being utilised for the project include gantry cranes, a sand and gravel aggregate processing facility, and concrete mixers.
A 287m-long bridge over the Huangya River has been built to facilitate the construction works. The project site will also feature workshops and a water treatment facility.
Power evacuation
The electricity generated by the Henan Tianchi pumped storage hydropower station will be evacuated into the grid through a 500kV transmission line.
Contractors involved in Henan Tianchi hydropower station
Voith Hydro Shanghai was contracted by Henan Tianchi Pumped Storage Company for the supply of pump turbines and generators, along with the auxiliary equipment for the project in December 2017.
The Eleventh Engineering Bureau of China Water Resources and Hydropower received a contract for the civil construction works of the Henan Tianchi pumped storage project in March 2015. The contractual scope included the construction of dams, water inlet and outlet structures, the diversion tunnel, as well as the roads connecting the upper and lower reservoirs.
The Eleventh Engineering Bureau of China Water Resources and Hydropower subcontracted Zhongchang International Construction Company for the civil works of upper and lower reservoir dams along with the spillway in June 2016.
China Gezhouba Group Electromechanical Construction, a subsidiary of state-owned China Gezhouba Group, has been engaged for the mechanical and electrical equipment installation, while China Gezhouba Group No 1 Engineering Company is responsible for the manufacturing and supply of penstocks for the project.
Beijing Institute of Technology was engaged to provide construction supervision services in December 2013, while the Central South Institute of China provided the design and engineering services as well as conducted feasibility studies and site surveys for the project.
The Eighth Hydropower Bureau was contracted for the construction and installation of the sand and gravel processing system at the project site.
