China Launches World’s Largest Compressed Air Energy Storage Facility

A groundbreaking compressed air energy storage (CAES) power station, the largest of its kind globally, has commenced full commercial operations in Yingcheng City, Hubei Province, central China. The facility, which utilizes two underground salt caverns as its storage medium, was successfully integrated into the national power grid on Thursday.

Dubbed “Energy Storage No. 1,” the project repurposes the caverns of an abandoned salt mine, some extending to depths of 600 meters, to house its gas storage system. The facility boasts a gas storage capacity of nearly 700,000 cubic meters, enabling a maximum single-unit power output of 300 megawatts and a total energy storage capacity of 1,500 megawatt-hours.

With a system conversion efficiency of approximately 70%, the plant is capable of storing energy for up to eight hours and discharging power for five hours daily. Over the course of a year, it is expected to generate around 500 gigawatt-hours of electricity.

This milestone project underscores China’s commitment to advancing renewable energy integration and enhancing grid stability through innovative storage solutions.