Yangyang Pumped Storage Power Station
Encyclopedia
The Yangyang Pumped Storage Power Station uses the water of the Namdae-Chun River to operate a 1,000 MW pumped storage hydroelectric power scheme, about 10 km (6 mi) west of Yangyang in Gangwon Province
, South Korea. The lower reservoir is created by the Yangyang Dam on the Namdae and the upper reservoir by the Inje Dam is located 937 m (3,074 ft) above the power plant. Construction on the power plant began in 1996 and it was completed and dedicated on September 13, 2006. It is operated by Korean Midland Power Co., a subsidiary of Korea Electric Power Company and was completed at a cost of ₩1.1 trillion won
(US$1.4 billion). The first generator was operational on February 23, 2006 and the last August 10, 2006.
During low electricity demand periods, such as the night time, water from the lower reservoir is pumped 937 m (3,074 ft) above the valley to the upper reservoir in the mountains. The upper reservoir is created by the Inje Dam, located 5.3 km² (2 sq mi) west of the Yangyang Dam at 38°01′08"N 128°29′47"E. The Inje is a 84 m (276 ft) tall and 415 m (1,362 ft) long rock-fill embankment dam
. The capacity of the upper reservoir is 4200000 cubic metre and it has a surface area of 190 m² (0.0469499809729024 acre). When electricity demand rises and the power plant begins to operate, water is released from the upper reservoir back towards the underground power plant, at the western edge of the lower reservoir. Water fluctuations in the upper reservoir range from 900 m (2,953 ft) and 936 m (3,071 ft) above sea level. The power plant contains four 250 MW reversible Francis turbine
-generators for an installed capacity of 1,000 MW. The drop in elevation affords a maximum hydraulic head
(drop) of 817 m (2,680 ft) and effective head of 776 m (2,546 ft).
Additionally, there are 2 x 1.5 MW Wind turbine
s installed at the upper reservoir and a 1.5 MW small hydro
turbine on the Yangsang Dam.
Gangwon-do (South Korea)
Gangwon-do is a province of South Korea, with its capital at Chuncheon. Before the division of Korea in 1945, Gangwon and its North Korean neighbour Kangwŏn formed a single province.-History:...
, South Korea. The lower reservoir is created by the Yangyang Dam on the Namdae and the upper reservoir by the Inje Dam is located 937 m (3,074 ft) above the power plant. Construction on the power plant began in 1996 and it was completed and dedicated on September 13, 2006. It is operated by Korean Midland Power Co., a subsidiary of Korea Electric Power Company and was completed at a cost of ₩1.1 trillion won
South Korean won
The won is the currency of South Korea. A single won is divided into 100 jeon, the monetary subunit. The jeon is no longer used for everyday transactions, and appears only in foreign exchange rates...
(US$1.4 billion). The first generator was operational on February 23, 2006 and the last August 10, 2006.
Design and operation
The operation of the power plant begins on the Namdae-Chun River where it is dammed by the Yangsang (Sangbu) Dam at 38°01′15"N 128°33′15"E, creating the lower reservoir. This dam is a 61.5 m (202 ft) tall and 275 m (902 ft) long concrete gravity dam. Water from a 124.9 km² (48 sq mi) catchment area collects into the lower reservoir which has a 19982000 cubic metre capacity, of which 4200000 cubic metre is active (or "useful") capacity for the power station. The lower reservoir has a surface area of 1.1 km² (272 acre) and operates at storage levels between 127 m (417 ft) and 131 m (430 ft) above sea level.During low electricity demand periods, such as the night time, water from the lower reservoir is pumped 937 m (3,074 ft) above the valley to the upper reservoir in the mountains. The upper reservoir is created by the Inje Dam, located 5.3 km² (2 sq mi) west of the Yangyang Dam at 38°01′08"N 128°29′47"E. The Inje is a 84 m (276 ft) tall and 415 m (1,362 ft) long rock-fill embankment dam
Embankment dam
An embankment dam is a massive artificial water barrier. It is typically created by the emplacement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil, sand, clay and/or rock. It has a semi-permanent waterproof natural covering for its surface, and a dense, waterproof...
. The capacity of the upper reservoir is 4200000 cubic metre and it has a surface area of 190 m² (0.0469499809729024 acre). When electricity demand rises and the power plant begins to operate, water is released from the upper reservoir back towards the underground power plant, at the western edge of the lower reservoir. Water fluctuations in the upper reservoir range from 900 m (2,953 ft) and 936 m (3,071 ft) above sea level. The power plant contains four 250 MW reversible Francis turbine
Francis turbine
The Francis turbine is a type of water turbine that was developed by James B. Francis in Lowell, Massachusetts. It is an inward-flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts....
-generators for an installed capacity of 1,000 MW. The drop in elevation affords a maximum hydraulic head
Hydraulic head
Hydraulic head or piezometric head is a specific measurement of water pressure above a geodetic datum. It is usually measured as a water surface elevation, expressed in units of length, at the entrance of a piezometer...
(drop) of 817 m (2,680 ft) and effective head of 776 m (2,546 ft).
Additionally, there are 2 x 1.5 MW Wind turbine
Wind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the device may be called a wind generator or wind charger. If the mechanical energy is used to drive machinery, such as for grinding grain or...
s installed at the upper reservoir and a 1.5 MW small hydro
Small hydro
Small hydro is the development of hydroelectric power on a scale serving a small community or industrial plant. The definition of a small hydro project varies but a generating capacity of up to 10 megawatts is generally accepted as the upper limit of what can be termed small hydro. This may be...
turbine on the Yangsang Dam.