East China Electric Power's Tianhuangping pumped storage hydroelectric project is the biggest of its type in Asia. It provides valuable cover for demand surges in the central coastal region, including high growth Shanghai. It is located in Anji County in Zhejiang, about 175km from Shanghai, and has a total installed capacity of 1,800MW.
The new plant plays a vital role in stabilising the entire East China Power Grid, improving the quality of the power supply in east China, and ensuring the safe operation of the nuclear power stations in the surrounding areas.

TWO PUMP STORAGE RESERVOIRS
Two pump storage reservoirs are about 1km apart and have a difference in elevation of 590m. They both have a storage volume of 8 million m3. The lower reservoir is located on the Daxi Creek branch of the Xitiao river and the upper reservoir is an artificial basin cut deep into the mountains. Two 7m-diameter conduits from the upper reservoir each branch into three 3.2m-diameter pipes to power the six 306MW turbines in the underground powerhouse. The maximum generating head is 607.5m.
Construction began in March 1994 and the plant came online in 2001 at an estimated cost of $1.08 billion. The first generator began operation in October 1998, later than planned, partly as a result of a major landslide the previous year. The remaining five 306MW units came online in stages during 1999 and 2000.

HYDROPOWER IN CHINA
China is increasing its electric power capacity by almost 10% per year to meet growing demand from both industry and private consumers. More than 17% of China's total electricity production is supplied by hydropower, but only about 15% of the country's technically feasible hydropower potential has been developed to date. 24 hydropower-generating units with a combined capacity of 5,300MW went on-stream in China in 1999. This increased the installed hydropower capacity by 8.3% to almost 70,000MW at the start of 2000.
China has some 15,000MW of pumped-storage hydro plants planned, in operation or construction. Tianhuangping is the largest pumped storage scheme in Asia, and the third largest in the world.

FUNDING
The East China Electric Power Group project was funded by Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui provinces as well as receiving a World Bank loan of $300 million. The Shanghai Branch of the People's Insurance Company of China (PICC Shanghai) provided $360 million of project insurance.
A consortium led by Kv?rner won the $160 million powerhouse equipment contract for Tianhuangping in 1993. Kv?rner had a 38% majority share in the contract order and supplied the six reversible pump turbines. Other principal partners in the consortium were GE Hydro and Austria's Elin Energiversorgung (VA Technologie). Electricité de France (EDF) provided technical assistance.
GE Hydro supplied the generator motors. Elin was responsible for design and delivery of components including excitation equipment, electrical protection, the control system for the power station, and the associated 500kV SF6 substation, generator bus ducts and starting frequency converter. Other electromechanical equipment sub-suppliers provided circuit breakers and starting systems for the units in pump mode.