Luoning Pumped Storage Power Station

The Luoning power project is a 1.4GW pumped-storage hydroelectric power station under construction in the Henan province, China.

State Grid Xinyuan Company, a subsidiary of State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC), is developing the power project with an estimated investment of £874m ($1.1bn).

The Henan Provincial Development and Reform Commission approved the construction of the project in June 2017. Expected to be completed by June 2026, the pumped storage project has the largest planned installed capacity in the Henan province.

Construction works on the project commenced in December 2017 and the first unit of the power plant is expected to enter into operations in 2025.

At full capacity, the Luoning pumped storage power station is estimated to generate approximately 1.191 billion kilo-watt hours (kWh) of electricity per year.

The power plant is also expected to offset approximately 310,000 tonnes (t) of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, about 1,000t of sulphur dioxide (SO2) and 9,000t of nitrogen oxides (NOx) annually, once operational. In addition, it is expected to avoid raw coal consumption by 118,000 tonnes per year.

Location and site details

The Luoning pumped storage power station is located in the Luoning city in Henan province, China.

The project site lies in the Jiankou township, approximately 17km from Luoning county.

Reservoir and dam details

The upper reservoir will feature an 86m high concrete face rockfill dam with a crest elevation of 1,233m. The reservoir will have a crest length of 718m and a crest width of 10m. The upper reservoir will be designed to store approximately 3.17 million cubic metres (mcm) of water.

The rainwater collection area of the upper reservoir will be about 0.69km² with a dead water level of 1,204m. It will be designed with a dead storage capacity of 2.33mcm of water.

The lower reservoir will also consist of a concrete face rockfill dam with a height of 105m. It will have an estimated rainwater collection area of 25.9km² with a dead water level of 588m. The lower reservoir will be designed to deliver a dead storage water capacity of 2.55mcm approximately.

Luoning pumped storage power station make-up

The Luoning pumped storage power station will feature four 350MW single-stage, vertical shaft, mixed flow reversible water pumped hydro-generator units. The turbines will be designed to operate at a rated water head of 604m.

The project involves the construction of the upper and lower reservoir, a water delivery system, an underground powerhouse and a ground switch station. The water diversion and tail water systems will feature two-hole four machines.

The pumped storage power project also includes the construction of ventilation and safety tunnel along with the installation of penstocks.

Power evacuation

The electricity generated by the Luoning pumped storage power station will be evacuated into the Henan power grid.

Contractors involved

Seventh Bureau of Hydropower was awarded a contract for the main construction works of the Luoning pumped storage power station project in August 2019. The contract scope included upper reservoir engineering, water diversion system, tailwater system, and lower reservoir works.

Central South Research Institute was engaged in the preparation of the feasibility study report for the Luoning project.

Dongfang Electric was selected to supply four pumped storage power units and related equipment in January 2021.

China Railway Group was contracted to deliver s hard rock tunnel boring machine (TBM) for the excavation and construction of a 2.8km long drainage tunnel for the project.

Henan Huaming Engineering Cost Consulting Company was engaged to carry out the bidding for the land acquisition and resettlement assessment project to build the Luoning power station.

Luoning pumped storage power station background

The Luoning power station project was proposed in 2003 and a pre-feasibility study was launched in 2010.

The feasibility study report for the project passed the technical review conducted by the National Water Planning Institute in November 2016.

It is a key project in Henan province’s Thirteenth Five-year Plan.

The pumped storage power station will be used for peak and frequency regulation, valley filling, and emergency backup of the Henan power grid, upon completion.