Feasibility Study of Construction of Pumped Storage Power Station Using Abandoned Mines: A Case Study of the Shitai Mine

Xin Lyu, Ke Yang, Juejing Fang (), Jinzhou Tang () and Yu Wang
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Xin Lyu: State Key Laboratory of Mining Response and Disaster Prevention and Control in Deep Coal Mines, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan 232001, China
Ke Yang: Institute of Energy, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Hefei 230031, China
Juejing Fang: State Key Laboratory of Mining Response and Disaster Prevention and Control in Deep Coal Mines, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan 232001, China
Jinzhou Tang: Institute of Energy, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Hefei 230031, China
Yu Wang: State Key Laboratory of Mining Response and Disaster Prevention and Control in Deep Coal Mines, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan 232001, China

Energies, 2022, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-16

Abstract: Due to the proposal of China’s carbon neutrality target, the traditional fossil energy industry continues to decline, and the proportion of new energy continues to increase. New energy power systems have high requirements for peak shaving and energy storage, but China’s current energy storage facilities are seriously insufficient in number and scale. The unique features of abandoned mines offer considerable potential for the construction of large-scale pumped storage power stations. Several countries have reported the conversion of abandoned mines to pumped storage plants, and a pilot project for the conversion of an underground reservoir group has been formalized in China. A feasibility study that considered the natural conditions, mine conditions, safety conditions, and economic benefits revealed that the construction of pumped storage power stations using abandoned mines could ameliorate several economic, ecological, and social problems, including resource utilization, ecological restoration, and population resettlement. The construction of pumped storage power stations using abandoned mines not only utilizes underground space with no mining value (reduced cost and construction period), but also improves the peak-load regulation and energy storage urgently needed for the development of power grid systems. Combined with the underground space and surface water resources of the Shitai Mine in Anhui, China, a plan for the construction of a pumped storage power station was proposed. The challenges faced by the current project were evaluated, further research suggested, and demonstration projects established in order to help achieve carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals.

Keywords: mining engineering; energy geostructure; abandoned mine; pumped storage; feasibility study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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