ZCGN, a technology company in China, has activated the largest compressed air energy storage project globally.
This $207.8 million power station has a capacity of 300 MW/1,800 MWh and utilizes an underground salt cave for energy storage.
ZCGN, a Chinese developer, has finished building a 300 MW compressed air energy storage (CAES) facility in Yingcheng, located in China’s Hubei province.
This storage plant is currently the largest CAES system globally.
Prior to this, the largest CAES facility was a 100 MW project activated in October 2022 by the Institute of Engineering Thermophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, also situated in China’s Hebei province.
ZCGN said the new system consists of a multi-stage wide-load compressor and high-load turbine expander, as well as a high-efficiency supercritical heat exchanger technology and integrated control technology.
It claimed that the facility was 30% cheaper than the 100 MW project built by the Institute of Engineering Thermophysics and said its overall efficiency is 72%.
The facility, which cost $207.8 million to build, has a large energy storage capacity of 300 MW/1,800 MWh and covers an area of around 100,000 m2.
According to ZCGN, it can provide continuous power discharge for up to six hours, ensuring power for 200,000 to 300,000 local homes during peak consumption periods.
The station utilizes an underground salt cave with wells that reach depths of up to 1,000 meters.
The cave has a gas storage capacity of over 500,000 cubic meters.
The facility is expected to generate approximately 600 TWh of electricity annually and is forecasted to reduce standard coal consumption by about 189,000 tons.
It is also projected to decrease carbon dioxide emissions by roughly 490,000 tons per year.
The investor for the project has revealed intentions to provide additional services in order to generate income from participating in China’s electricity trading market.
It is expected that the project will produce a return on investment of approximately 16.38%, with a payback period of roughly 7.1 years.
The Shandong provincial power grid is anticipated to provide crucial power regulation capabilities, such as peak shaving, frequency stabilization, phase shifting, and standby power.
Source ZCGN
