en.Wedoany.com Reported - Qinghai Warang Pumped Storage Power Station completed the handover of the ventilation and safety tunnel on June 3 and initiated the filling of the upper reservoir dam, marking the simultaneous achievement of two key construction milestones. This signifies the official transition of the station from the preliminary temporary construction phase to the main dam construction phase.
Located in Guinan County, Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, the station is a key national project under China's 14th Five-Year Plan and the largest pumped storage power station in terms of installed capacity in western China. With a total installed capacity of 2.8 million kilowatts, it will house 8 reversible units of 350,000 kilowatts each, generating 3.36 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. China's Fourth Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Bureau is responsible for the cavern and road works during the preparatory phase, as well as the upper reservoir project.
The handed-over ventilation and safety tunnel, with a total length of 2,096 meters, serves as a "critical passage" for the construction of the underground powerhouse, undertaking multiple functions such as construction ventilation, smoke exhaust, dust suppression, oxygen supply, and emergency evacuation, providing crucial support for subsequent underground main construction. Facing complex geological challenges including water inflow, fault fracture zones, and weak interlayers, the project management team utilized advanced geological prediction technology to assess risks in advance, scientifically formulated construction plans, and precisely implemented control measures. Tunnel excavation strictly followed the requirements of "short footage, weak blasting, strong support, rapid closure, and frequent measurement," implementing a "one blast, one support" process while simultaneously advancing concrete construction on the tunnel floor to improve the working environment. The team also deployed intelligent axial fans, double-boom rock drilling jumbos, and intelligent traveling formwork jumbos, utilizing a multi-source data intelligent interactive visualization management platform to steadily advance "mechanization replacing labor, automation reducing personnel, and intelligent unmanned operations." For fault crossings, a "large pipe shed support + small pipe grouting reinforcement" process was adopted to ensure safe and smooth passage.
The filling of the upper reservoir dam is a critical step for achieving core functions such as water storage, flood control, and power generation. The dam crest elevation is 2,915 meters, with a maximum dam height of approximately 73 meters. The filling dam section is 2,426.2 meters long, with a total filling volume of up to 9.754 million cubic meters. This foundation-laying filling marks the beginning of standardized and large-scale dam construction. The project management team will strictly adhere to safety and quality baselines, refine high-altitude dam construction techniques, and implement green construction technologies relying on new energy equipment such as intelligent electric mining trucks and pure electric dump trucks, meticulously advancing operations such as dam filling, compaction, and settlement monitoring.
The station is planned to achieve first-unit power generation by September 2030 and full grid-connected operation by December 2031. Once operational, it will save 1.82 million tons of standard coal annually and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 4.55 million tons, effectively mitigating the randomness and volatility of new energy sources, promoting reliable clean energy consumption, and playing a significant role in the safe and stable operation of the power grid in Qinghai and even northwest China, as well as in the development and utilization of new energy.
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