Siah Bisheh Hydroelectric Dam

Siah Bisheh Dam is a hydroelectric dam and Pumped-storage hydroelectricity station currently under construction in Iran's Mazandaran Province with an installed electricity generating capability of 1040 MWh during peak hours. It has the capability to take in 940 MWh of electricity off the grid and storing it by pumping water to a higher elevation dam from a lower elevation dam. The low cost off peak electricity is stored in this manner to be used during peak demand hours of the day. Its design aim is to lessen the need for thermal stations during peak hours thus reducing CO2 emissions. When completed in 2011, it is going to become Iran's first Pumped-storage hydroelectricity station.

Zagorsk Pumped Storage Plant

Zagorsk Pumped Storage Plant is a pumped-storage hydroelectric power station near Sergiev Posad, Russia. Zagorsk-1 has a 1200 MW installed capacity and was Russia's first power plant of that type. The project was approved in 1974, the first two generators operational in 1987 and the rest by 2000. Zagorsk-2 with a future installed capacity of 840 MW is currently being constructed adjacent to it.

Zagorsk Pumped Storage Station
Official name Zagorskaya PSP
Commission date 1987-2000
Owner(s) RusHydro

Pumped-storage station information
Pump-generators 6 x 200 MW

Power generation information
Installed capacity 1,200 MW
Annual generation 1.9 billion kWh

Ingula Pumped Storage Scheme

The Ingula Pumped Storage Scheme (previously named Braamhoek) is under construction by Eskom in the escarpment of the Little Drakensberg range straddling the border of the Free State and KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. The Scheme will consists of an upper (Bedford Dam) and a lower dam (Bramhoek Dam) 4.6 km apart and connected by tunnels. The underground powerhouse will house 4 x 333MW reversible pump-turbines. Construction is due to be completed in 2012.

The Ingula pumped-storage hydroelectricity plant will be used to generate electricity during the peak demand periods of the day. At night, excess power on the grid generated by conventional coal and nuclear plants is used to pump water to the Upper Reservoir.

Tumut 3 Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Power Plant

Tumut 3 Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Power Plant has 6 turbines, with a generating capacity of 1,500MW of electricity.

The power station was completed in 1973, and has 150.9 metres rated head. It was the first hydroelectric power station in NSW to employ pumped storage. At the moment (july 2009) there is major upgrade project going on in Tumut 3. Project will involve the replacement of the runner in each generator, a major overhaul of the plant, an upgrade of the electrical controls and protection, repainting and routine maintenance while each turbine generator is out of service.

Tumut 3 Pumped Storage Station
Locale Snowy Mountains Scheme, New South Wales
Commission date 1973
Owner(s) Snowy Hydro Limited

Power station information
Primary fuel Hydropower
Generation units 6

Power generation information
Maximum capacity 1,500 MW

Raccoon Mountain Pumped-Storage Plant


Raccoon Mountain Pumped-Storage Plant is a pumped-storage hydroelectric underground power station in Marion County, just west of Chattanooga in the U.S. state of Tennessee.

The facility is owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). Construction was started in 1970 and was completed in 1978.

Water is pumped from Nickajack Reservoir on the Tennessee River at the base of Raccoon Mountain to a storage reservoir built at the top of the mountain. The reservoir at the top of the mountain covers 528 acres (214 ha), with a dam that is 230 feet (70 m) high and 5,800 feet (1,800 m) long, the largest rock-fill dam ever built by TVA. It takes 28 hours to fill the upper reservoir. During periods of high electric demand, water can be released from the reservoir through a tunnel drilled through the center of the mountain, driving electric generators in an underground hydroelectric plant. The Raccoon Mountain Pumped-Storage Plant has a capacity of 1600 megawatts of electricity and can generate for up to 22 hours. The plant is used most every day and serves as an important grid balancing in the TVA system.

The Raccoon Mountain Pumped-Storage Plant facility is a popular recreation spot for hiking, walking, running, road and mountain biking.
Raccoon Mountain Pumped-Storage Plant
Status Operational
Construction began 1970
Commission date 1978
Owner(s) Tennessee Valley Authority

Power station information
Primary fuel Water
Generation units 4 x Pump-generator

Power generation information
Installed capacity 1600 MW

Castaic Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Plant

The 1,566 MW Castaic pumped-storage hydroelectric plant is located at the other end of the lake. Castaic Lake serves as the lower reservoir, while Pyramid Lake serves as the upper. When demand for electricity is high, usually during the afternoon, water is withdrawn from Pyramid Lake and released into Castaic Lake. At night, when demand is low, water is pumped back into Pyramid Lake. The sale of peak electricity reduces the Department of Water Resources' overall electric costs for operating the California Aqueduct.

Castaic Dam is a dam near the city of Castaic, California. It is an earth-fill dam, though its surfaces are covered with boulders and cobble-sized rocks to prevent erosion. Although located on Castaic Creek and forming Castaic Lake, Castaic Creek provides little of its water. The lake is the terminus of the West Branch of the California Aqueduct, part of the State Water Project. The dam was built by the California Department of Water Resources and construction was completed in 1973. The lake has a capacity of 325,000 acre-feet (401,000,000 m³) and stores drinking water for the western portion of the Greater Los Angeles Area.

Kruonis Pumped Storage Plant

Kruonis Pumped Storage Plant is located near Kruonis, Lithuania. Its main purpose is to provide a spinning reserve of the power system, to regulate the load curve of the power system 24 hours a day. It operates in conjunction with the Kaunas Hydroelectric Power Plant. During periods of low demand, usually at night, Kruonis PSHP is operated in pump mode, and, using cheap surplus energy, raises water from lower - Kaunas reservoir to upper one. With fully filled upper reservoir the plant can generate 900 MW for about 12 hours. To liquidate the capacity deficit in the event of the disconnection of the Ignalina nuclear power plant, the Kruonis Pumped Storage Plant generators are automatically launched into operation.

The Kruonis Pumped Storage Plant uses hydro-resources of artificial water pools existing at different geographical levels.

The electricity from this power plant is supplied to 330 kV electricity line between Elektrėnai, where the largest fossil fuel plant in Lithuania is operating, and Kaunas. During a surplus of electricity generation output, the Kruonis Pumped Storage Plant operates at pump mode and uses the surplus electricity to pump water from the lower pool to the upper pool.

During an electricity output deficit, the Kruonis Pumped Storage Plant operates as a regular hydro power plant, letting water flow from the upper pool to the lower pool and in this way generating additional electricity. With fully filled upper reservoir the plant can generate 900 MW for about 12 hours.


Basic technical data:

  • Designed capacity of the pumped storage plant: 1 600 MW (8 units, 200 MW each)
  • Installed capacity of the pumped storage plant: 900 MW (4 units, 225 MW each)


Turbine–pump

  • Type - Radial Axis
  • Runner diameter 6,3 m
  • Capacity at turbine mode 205 MW
  • Capacity at pump mode 217 MW
  • 150 rev/min.
  • Rated discharge at turbine mode 226 m³/s
  • Rated discharge at pump mode 189 m³/s
  • Nominal pressure 100 m


Engine–generator

  • Type - Synchronic vertical
  • Capacity 236 MW
  • Generator voltage 15, 75 kV
  • Weight 1120 t


Reverse channel

  • Width of bottom 189 m
  • Width of water surface 250 m
  • Depth 10 m


Pipelines

  • Length 840 m
  • Internal diameter 7,5 m
  • External diameter 8,4 m
  • Number of poles 2800 ( diam. 1 m)


Upper pool

  • Area 3.06 km²
  • Dam length 6,3 km
  • Perimeter of pool 6,8 km
  • Water level: 140,0 to 153,5 m alt.
  • Bottom 138 m alt.
  • Total pool volume 48,000,000 m³
  • Payload pool volume 41,000,000 m³


Lower pool

  • Length 127 m
  • Width 70 m
  • Height 50 m

Mingtan Dam Hydroelectric Power

The Mingtan Dam Hydroelectric Power Plant spans the Shuili River about 4 km (2.5 mi) downstream from the outlet of Sun Moon Lake in central Taiwan. About 61.5 m (202 ft) high, the dam was completed in 1990. It forms Minghu Reservoir which is the lower reservoir for the Minghu Pumped-Storage Project. During high power demand, water used for power generation from Sun Moon Lake fills Minghu Reservoir, while during low demand, the water is pumped back upstream. This system can generate up to 1,600 MW at peak production.

During the 921 Earthquake, a magnitude 7.2, Mingtan was one of eight dams that sustained damage, but did not collapse.
Mingtan Dam
Official name 明潭壩
Locale Taiwan
Opening date 1990
Dam and spillways
Height 61.5 m (202 ft)
Impounds Shuili River
Reservoir
Creates Ming Hu
Power station
Type Yes
Installed capacity 1,600 MW

Dinorwig Pumped-Storage Hydroelectric Plant

The Dinorwig Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Power Plant is a 1,800 MW pumped-storage hydroelectric scheme, near Dinorwig, Llanberis in Snowdonia national park in Gwynedd, north Wales. It comprises 16 km of tunnels, 1 million tons of concrete, 200,000 tons of cement and 4,500 tons of steel.

The scheme of Dinorwig Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Power Plant was constructed in the abandoned Dinorwic slate quarry. In order to preserve the natural beauty of Snowdonia National Park, the power station itself is located deep inside the mountain Elidir Fawr, inside tunnels and caverns. The project - begun in 1974 and costing £425 million and taking ten years to complete - was the largest civil engineering contract ever awarded by the UK government at the time. The work was undertaken by an Alfred McAlpine / Brand / Zschokke consortium. 12,000,000 tonnes of rock had to be moved from inside the mountain, creating tunnels wide enough for two lorries to pass comfortably, and an enormous cavern 51m tall, 180m long, and 23m wide known as "the concert hall". This has also given rise to the station's alternative name of Electric Mountain. The power station is connected to the National Grid substation at Pentir by 400kV cables that are buried for approximately six miles, rather than use unsightly, transmission towers or pylons to transmit the electricity across what is an area of outstanding natural beauty.

Operation

Water is stored at a high altitude in Marchlyn Mawr reservoir and is discharged into Llyn Peris through the turbines during times of peak electricity demand. It is pumped back from Llyn Peris to Marchlyn Mawr during off-peak times. Although it uses more electricity to pump the water back than it generates on the way down, pumping is generally done at periods of low demand, when the energy is cheaper to consume.

The Dinorwig Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Power Plant comprises six 300MW GEC generator/motors coupled to Francis-type reversible turbines. The generators are vertical shaft, salient pole, air cooled units each having 12 electromagnetic poles weighing 10 tonnes a piece, producing a terminal voltage of 18kV, synchronous speed is 500rpm. From standstill, a single 450-tonne generator can synchronise and achieve full load in approximately 75 seconds. With all six units synchronised and spinning-in-air (compressed air), 0MW to 1800MW load can be achieved in approximately 16 seconds. Once running, the station can provide power for up to 6 hours before running out of water.

Another important feature of Dinorwig is that it has been designed to assist restarting the National Grid on the occasion of a complete power failure (a black start). It includes diesel generators and large batteries which would allow the plant to restart even in the event of a complete shutdown of the grid (Dinorwig is not unique in this respect as some fossil-fuel plants are also able to self-start).

The Dinorwig Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Power Plant runs on average at 74-75% efficiency - i.e. it uses 33% more electricity (when pumping the water back up to the Machlyn Mawr) than it actually produces. It fills an important need in the system by responding to sudden surges in electricity demand because of its rapid ability to deliver power on load spikes. One of the alternatives would be to be to have spare capacity from conventional power stations running part loaded - spinning reserve, hence at lower efficiency than otherwise, and thus capable of being rapidly run up to full load. This would mean generating an additional 1330-1590GWh of power each year and releasing more than 140,000 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere each year. Other forms of power plant compete in this market for reserve power such as gas turbines and diesel generators for the National Grid Reserve Service.

Excess water overflows to Llyn Padarn and is lost from the Reservoir system. Both Llyn Peris and Llyn Padarn were ancestral homes to the Arctic char, a rare fish in the UK. When the scheme was commissioned, a fish rescue was undertaken to transfer the char from Llyn Peris to other local suitable lakes and it is believed that due to the very variable water levels in Llyn Peris, Arctic char are now absent from the lake.

The Dinorwig Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Power Plant is also promoted as a Welsh tourist attraction, with visitors able to take a minibus trip to see the workings inside the so called "Electric Mountain".

Dinorwig Pumped Storage Plant
Locale Dinorwig, Wales
Construction began 1974
Construction cost £425 million
Reservoir
Creates Upper: Marchlyn Mawr
Lower: Llyn Peris
Power station
Type Yes
Turbines 6 × 300 MW
Installed capacity 1,800 MW

Tianhuangping Pumped Storage Power Plant

The Tianhuangping Pumped Storage Power Plant is a pumped-storage power station in Tainhuangping, Anji County of Zhejiang Province, China. The power station has an installed capacity of 1836 MW utilizing 6 x reversible Francis turbines. Construction began in 1993 and by 2004, the power station was complete.

Tianhuangping Dam

Situated on the Daxi Creek, the Tianhuangping Dam creates the power station's lower reservoir. The concrete face rock-fill dam is 72 metres (236 ft) high and 577 metres (1,893 ft) long. The dam creates a reservoir that can store 6,770,000 cubic metres (239,080,294 cu ft) of water and contains an uncontrolled side-weir spillway that can discharge a design level of 536 cubic metres per second (18,929 cu ft/s).

Upper reservoir

From the lower reservoir, water is pumped up into the upper reservoir which has a normal storage capacity of 6,760,000 cubic metres (238,727,147 cu ft). The upper reservoir is artificial and cut into the mountain and created with the assistance of four saddle dams. When power is being generated, the water leaves the reservoir and falls through three 882 metres (2,894 ft) long and 7 metres (23 ft) diameter penstocks down towards the power station which is above the lower reservoir. Before reaching the reversible turbines, the water branches off into six branch pipes.

Power station

The six branch pipes feed water into the six turbines. Each reversible Francis turbine has a 306 MW installed capacity and 336 MW maximum capacity. The turbines and generators are stored in an underground power house measuring 198.7 metres (652 ft) long, 21 metres (69 ft) wide and 47.7 metres (156 ft) high. After power is produced, the water is discharged back into the lower reservoir and the entire process can repeat.

Tianhuangping Pumped Storage Power Plant
Country China
Locale Tainhuangping, Anji County of Zhejiang Province, China
Status Operational
Construction cost $900 million USD

Reservoir information
Upper reservoir Tianhuangping Upper
Reservoir capacity 6,760,000 cubic metres (238,727,147 cu ft) (Normal)
Catchment area .327 square kilometres (0 sq mi)
Lower reservoir Tianhuangping Lower
Reservoir capacity 6,770,000 cubic metres (239,080,294 cu ft) (Normal)
Catchment area 24.2 square kilometres (9 sq mi)
Pumped-storage station information
Penstocks 3
Pump-generators 6 x reversible Francis turbines
Hydraulic head 887 metres (2,910 ft)
Lower reservoir spillways Controlled, side-weir
Lower reservoir spillway discharge 536 cubic metres per second (18,929 cu ft/s)

Power generation information
Installed capacity 1,836 MW
Maximum capacity 2,016 MW

Ludington Pumped Storage Power Plant

The Ludington Pumped Storage Power Plant is a hydroelectric plant and reservoir in Ludington, Michigan. It was built between 1969 and 1973 at a cost of $315 million and is owned jointly by Consumers Energy and Detroit Edison and operated by Consumers Energy. At the time of its construction, it was the largest pumped storage hydroelectric facility in the world.

LinkLudington Pumped Storage Power Plant consists of a reservoir 110 ft (34 m) deep, 2.5 miles (4 km) long, and one mile (1.6 km) wide which holds 27 billion US gallons (100 million m³) of water. The 1.3 mi² reservoir is located on the banks of Lake Michigan. Because impervious bedrock is more than 800 feet below the reservoir, the builders had to line the reservoir with a layer of asphalt and clay to prevent water seeping into the ground.

The Ludington Pumped Storage Power Plant consists of six reversible turbines that can each generate 312 megawatts of electricity for a total output of 1872 megawatts. Water is delivered from the upper reservoir to the turbines by six penstocks each 1100 feet long that taper from 28 to 24 feet in diameter.

At night, during low demand for electricity, the turbines run in reverse to pump water 363 ft (110 m) uphill from Lake Michigan into the reservoir. The plant takes advantage of the natural steep sand dune landform of eastern Lake Michigan. During periods of peak demand water is released to generate power. Electrical generation can begin within 2 minutes with peak electric output of 1872MW achieved in under 30 minutes. Maximum water flow is over 33 million gallons per minute.

This process helps level the load of coal-fired power plants on the grid. It also replaces the need to build natural gas peak power plants used only during high demand. The Ludington Pumped Storage plant is connected to three 345,000 kv Transmission lines, all owned and maintained by METC, a subsidiary of ITC Holdings.

Ludington Pumped Storage Power Plant project was given the 1973 award for "Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement" by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Consumers Energy discussed plans in 2008 to extend the life of the facility and upgrade the pumps to increase efficiency by up to 9%. Consumers Energy also planned to tap the wind power resources along the eastern Lake Michigan shore with wind farms. Because wind is an intermittent power source and may inconveniently deliver large amounts of power during periods of low electric demand, pumped storage facilities are desirable to have on the same grid with large-scale wind farms. The available pumped storage capacity, along with the wind characteristics, partly determine the maximum contribution wind power can make to the overall electricity use in a region.

Consumers Energy and Detroit Edison announced an $800 million upgrade on February 7 2011. The six year project would begin in 2013 and extend the plant's life by at least forty years and upgrade the generating capacity from 1,872 megawatts to 2,172 megawatts.

Okutataragi Pumped Storage Power Plant

The Okutataragi Pumped Storage Power Plant is a large pumped-storage hydroelectric power station in Asago, in the Hyōgo Prefecture of Japan. With a total installed capacity of a 1,932 MW, it is one of the largest pumped-storage power stations in the world, and the largest in Japan. The facility is currently run by the Kansai Electric Power Company.

Like most pumped-storage facilities, the power station utilizes two reservoirs, releasing and pumping as the demand rises and falls. Construction on the facility began in 1970 and was completed in 1974.

Kurokawa Reservoir

The Kurokawa Reservoir, the upper reservoir, has a capacity of 33,387,000 m3 (1.1791×109 cu ft), a catchment area of 1,090,000 m2 (11,700,000 sq ft), and a reservoir surface area of 5.2 km2 (2.0 sq mi), and is held back by the Kurokawa Dam.

The embankment dam, located on the Ichi River, measures 98 m (322 ft) tall, 325 m (1,066 ft) wide, and is built with 3,650,000 m3 (129,000,000 cu ft) of material.

Tataragi Reservoir

The Tataragi Reservoir, the lower reservoir, has a capacity of 19,440,000 m3 (687,000,000 cu ft), a catchment area of 1,050,000 m2 (11,300,000 sq ft), and a reservoir surface area of 13.4 km2 (5.2 sq mi), and is held back by the Tataragi Dam.

The dam measures 64.5 m (212 ft) tall, 278 m (912 ft) wide, and is build with 1,462,000 m3 (51,600,000 cu ft) of material.

Okutataragi Pumped Storage Power Station
Country Japan
Locale Asago, Hyōgo
Status Operational
Construction began 1970
Commission date 1974
Operator(s) KEPCO

Reservoir information
Upper reservoir Kurokawa Reservoir
Reservoir capacity 33,387,000 m3
Catchment area 1,090,000 m2
Surface area 5.2 km2
Lower reservoir Tataragi Reservoir
Reservoir capacity 19,440,000 m3
Catchment area 1,050,000 m2
Surface area 13.4 km2

Power generation information
Installed capacity 1,932 MW