Construction | construction milestones Pumped storage Major pumped storage projects across China, Australia, and Vietnam reach
key construction milestones as countries accelerate development of long-duration energy storage to support renewable power systems.
Right: Excavation of the underground powerhouse of the Lianghekou pumped storage power station completed
ACROSS ASIA AND AUSTRALIA, several large pumped storage hydropower projects have recently reached significant construction milestones. From high-altitude excavation breakthroughs in western China to major tunnelling progress beneath Australia’s Snowy Mountains and early works in Vietnam and Queensland, developers are pushing forward with projects designed to provide the long-duration storage increasingly required to support renewable-dominated electricity systems. Together, the developments highlight how pumped
storage is moving to the centre of energy transition strategies in many regions, with projects growing in scale, complexity and technological sophistication.
Below: Aerial view of the construction of the upper reservoir of the Lianghekou pumped storage power station during the Spring Festival
China’s Lianghekou project advances Construction of the Lianghekou pumped storage project
in western China has reached two major milestones as developers continue work on what is described as the world’s largest and highest-altitude pumped storage power station currently under construction.
Located on the western Sichuan plateau along the
Yalong River at an altitude of around 3000m, the project recently completed excavation of its underground powerhouse while also initiating the first concrete pour for the dam of the Yagen I hydropower station, which will serve as the scheme’s lower reservoir. The Lianghekou pumped storage project utilises the
existing Lianghekou reservoir as its upper reservoir and the planned Yagen I reservoir as its lower basin. The scheme will install four 300MW reversible pump-turbine units. When combined with the 3000MW of conventional hydropower capacity already operating at Lianghekou, the integrated facility will have a total installed capacity of 4200MW. The underground powerhouse represents one of
the project’s most technically demanding structures. Positioned roughly 500m beneath the surface, the cavern complex measures nearly 200m in length and around 60m in height, with a maximum excavation depth of approximately 650m. Completion of excavation marks the end of the main civil works phase and allows the project to transition to electromechanical installation. Constructing such a large underground facility in a high-altitude environment has presented numerous engineering challenges. Workers have faced low oxygen levels, high in-situ rock stress and fractured geological formations typical of the mountainous terrain of western Sichuan. To manage these conditions, project developers deployed a self-developed intelligent construction management platform that integrates building information modelling (BIM), three-dimensional laser scanning, intelligent drilling and blasting systems, and automated ventilation controls. A layered excavation strategy combining pre- splitting and smooth blasting techniques was adopted to maintain cavern stability. In addition, real-time deformation monitoring systems were installed to
30 | April 2026 |
www.waterpowermagazine.com
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