“A New PSH Project after 13 years”… DL E&C Held the Ground Breaking Ceremony for Yeongdong Pumped-Storage Hydroelectric Power Station
DATE 2025.04.21
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“A New PSH Project after 13 years”…
DL E&C Held the Ground Breaking Ceremony for Yeongdong Pumped-Storage Hydroelectric Power Station
A bird-eye view of Yeongdong Pumped-Storage Hydroelectricity Power Station The water from the upper dam (right) is released downward to the lower dam to generate electricity.
- Will Generate 500MW of Power when Completed in 2030 … Drilling through the height of a ‘143-floor-high apartment building.’
- The construction and technology in ‘Yecheon Pumped-Storage Hydroelectric’ project recognized - the largest reference basis of hydro-power and dam projects in South Korea
DL E&C announced on the 21st that it held the ground-breaking ceremony for the Yeongdong Pumped-Storage Hydroelectricity Power Station project in Yeongdong-gun, Choongbuk on the 17th. A pumped-storage hydroelectricity power station is a type of hydroelectric power station that is composed of two dams at different altitudes. When there is more electricity capacity than needed, the water in the lower dam is pumped up, and the water is released downward to generate power when the demand is high.
The power generation capacity of Yeongdong pumped-storage hydro power station, which is to be built over an area of 1.18 million m㎡ (about 360,000 pyeong) in Yanggang-myeon, Sangchon-myeon, and nearby areas in Yeongdong-gun, is 500㎿. This is enough to supply power to about 110,000 households. DL E&C was awarded with the Yeongdong project, of which the total budget is 503.4 billion won, in last August. This is the first pumped-storage hydro project of KHNP in thirteen years, and the project is scheduled to be completed in 2030. The last pumped-storage hydro power plant built in South Korea was Yecheon pumped-storage hydro, which was built in 2011. This power station, too, was built by DL E&C.
DL E&C boasts the largest number of construction project references in hydro power and dams, including the Karun Dam of Iran, Gulpur hydro in Pakistan, and the Karian Dam in Indonesia. Especially, a pumped-storage hydroelectricity power plant requires high durability and stability, since it combines the characteristics of water and electricity. To connect the lower dam and the upper dam, the project includes a daunting task of making a vertical tunnel of 430m, which is equal to a 143-floor apartment building, approximately.
Since solar power, wind power, and other renewable energy have been gaining attention in the area of decarbonization, the demand for pumped-storage hydro is increasing due to its ability to ‘store electricity.’ It works by pumping up the water during the daytime using solar power, followed by the operation of the hydro power generators during the night, when solar power is not available. Especially, with the advances in AI technologies, it is expected that the demand for electricity would surge. Therefore, the construction and engineering industries are paying keen attention as the breadwinner for the next generation.
The energy authorities have also announced their plan to increase the capacity of pumped-storage hydro power to 1.75GW in its 10th Basic Power Supply Plan. There are a total of nine pumped-storage hydro power projects that have been completed or are currently under construction, including Hongcheon-gun (Gangwon-do), Gurye-gun (Jeonnam), and more.
A source in DL E&C said, “DL E&C is the contractor that built the last pumped-storage hydro project and also the contractor that builds a new one after thirteen years,” adding, “We will successfully complete this project to contribute to the strengthening of energy security and invigoration of the economy.”
