What is a compressed air energy storage project?

A compressed air energy storage (CAES) project in Hubei, China, has come online, with 300MW/1,500MWh of capacity. The 5-hour duration project, called Hubei Yingchang, was built in two years with a total investment of CNY1.95 billion (US$270 million) and uses abandoned salt mines in the Yingcheng area of Hubei, China’s sixth-most populous province.

How long can a compressed air energy storage plant store electricity?

CEEC claims that the facility can store electricity for eight hours and release power over a five-hour period on a daily basis. The world's first 300-MW compressed air energy storage (CAES) demonstration plant has been connected to the grid, operating at full capacity in the central Chinese province of Hubei.

Is China planning to use compressed air for energy storage?

But according to Asia Times, China is planning to lean heavily on compressed air energy storage (CAES) as well, to handle nearly a quarter of all the country's energy storage by 2030.

How efficient is China's new compressed air plant?

According to China Energy Storage Alliance, the new plant can store and release up to 400 MWh, at a system design efficiency of 70.4%. That's huge; current compressed air systems are only around 40-52% efficient, and even the two larger Hydrostor CAES plants scheduled to open in California in 2026 are only reported to be around 60% efficient.

What is the largest gas storage facility in the world?

According to the company, which also installed the capacity, this is the largest operating site of the kind in the world. The Nengchu-1 facility is located in Yingcheng and utilises two underground caverns of an abandoned salt mine, reaching up to 600 metres of depth, which serve as gas storage units.

Why should China build nengchu-1?

“The successful grid connection of Nengchu-1 provides a Chinese solution to the global challenge of instability and uncertainty in new power systems dominated by renewable energy, contributing to the green and low-carbon energy transition,” said Song Hailiang, chairman of CEEC. The construction of Nengchu-1 was initiated in 2022.