en.Wedoany.com Reported - The upper reservoir of the Hunan Pingjiang pumped storage project has officially begun water filling after completing acceptance procedures. Located in Pingjiang County, Hunan Province, the station has a total installed capacity of 1.4 GW, making it the largest pumped storage power station currently under construction in the province. The total project investment is 8.8 billion yuan (approximately $1.2 billion), and it will be equipped with four 350 MW reversible pump-turbine units.

This water filling milestone marks the project's entry into the next development phase, including equipment installation, testing, and preparations for grid connection commissioning of the first generating unit. Once operational, the station will provide grid support services such as peak shaving, energy storage, and reserve capacity, helping the regional power system integrate a larger share of variable renewable energy generation.

The upper reservoir is formed by a 52.5-meter-high asphalt core rockfill dam with a storage capacity of 7.15 million cubic meters. The reservoir infrastructure also includes a spillway and water intake structures. Construction challenges were increased by mountainous terrain, frequent heavy rainfall and fog, and complex geological conditions, which raised the complexity of foundation works and site logistics. According to the project team, construction planning and resource deployment were dynamically adjusted based on weather and ground conditions, while continuous on-site operations and monitoring helped maintain progress and meet safety and quality requirements.

The completion of the water filling phase is expected to support subsequent construction activities and ensure the project advances as planned toward commissioning and power generation.