Largest installed capacity at ultra-high altitude! Excavation of underground powerhouse completed at Qinghai Nanshankou Pumped Storage Power Station in China

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On June 30, the excavation of the underground powerhouse at the Qinghai Golmud Nanshankou Pumped Storage Power Station was completed, marking the official transition of the power station's construction into the stages of concrete pouring, metal structure installation, and electromechanical equipment installation.

Located in Golmud City, Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, this power station is currently the pumped storage power station with the largest installed capacity under construction at an altitude above 3,500 meters in the world. The project mainly consists of core components including an upper reservoir, a lower reservoir, a three-dimensional water conveyance system, and an underground powerhouse.

The total installed capacity of the power station reaches 2.4 million kilowatts, equipped with 8 reversible pump-turbine generator units of 300,000 kilowatts each. The underground powerhouse has a total length of 339 meters, a span of 27.8 meters, and a height of 58.4 meters. During construction, challenges such as poor ventilation conditions, complex geological structures, low oxygen levels, and reduced power of construction machinery were encountered.

Wang Wei, the on-site manager from China Three Gorges Construction Engineering Corporation, stated: "The overall construction of the project is extremely difficult and carries high safety risks. Since the start of construction in September 2024, we have coordinated all participating units including design, construction, and supervision. By optimizing excavation layering, blasting support schemes, and ventilation and oxygen supply facilities, we achieved dynamic control over the entire process of surrounding rock stability and construction quality, completing all excavation tasks of the underground powerhouse to high standards."

In the next steps, the Nanshankou Pumped Storage Power Station will advance various transition construction tasks such as main concrete pouring of the powerhouse, metal structure installation, and electromechanical equipment installation. It will steadily promote the subsequent construction process with higher standards and more concrete measures, contributing to the acceleration of comprehensive green transformation in Qinghai Province's economic and social development.