China‘s pumped-storage hydroelectricity sector is gearing up for development during the 15th Five-Year Plan （2026-30） period to serve as a critical engine for the nation’s green transition and long-term energy security， industry experts said.

Over the next half-decade， the country expects to see approximately 100 million kilowatts of new pumped-storage capacity become operational， with an average annual rollout exceeding 20 million kW， placing the industry at a record level， they said.

"Pumped-storage is to play an increasingly irreplaceable strategic role in expanding the scale and quality of new energy， ensuring the safe and stable operation of the power system， said Zhao Zenghai， deputy head of the China Renewable Energy Engineering Institute.

Zhao said that compared with the 14th Five-Year Plan （2021-25） period， the sector's development scale is expected to experience a rapid leap.

The 100 million kW of newly commissioned capacity targeted for the next five years is roughly 1.5 times the nation‘s total cumulative capacity at the end of 2025， making China’s total operational pumped-storage capacity likely to reach around 160 million kW by 2030， he said.

Concurrently， the country will actively and systematically advance the construction of approved projects， striving to meet the power system's demand for 400 million kW of flexible capacity by 2035。

The 15th Five-Year Plan will foster a new pattern of coordinated development between eastern load centers and new energy-rich regions in central and western China， the institute said in a report.

“While closer synergy with new energy will effectively smooth out output fluctuations and substantially boost the utilization and consumption of renewables， it will also provide vital regulatory support for cross-provincial power transmission from new energy megabases， significantly enhancing the efficiency of transmission corridors，” Zhao said.

Ye Xiaoning， a senior engineer at the new energy department of the State Grid Energy Research Institute， said pumped-storage power stations are expected to further solidify their role in system regulation in the years to come.

“In addition to leveraging their peak-shaving and valley-filling capabilities to rapidly respond to grid demand in central and eastern regions， they will also be serving as vital regulatory support for outbound power transmission in the new energy-rich western and northern regions， effectively smoothing out wind and solar fluctuations and boosting the utilization of new energy，” Ye said.

Capable of rapidly responding to grid regulation needs， smoothing out the volatility of wind and solar power generation， and effectively enhancing the integration and utilization of new energy， the industry has transitioned from mere scale expansion to prioritizing both scale and quality in recent years， placing greater emphasis on economic viability， safety and environmental considerations， he added.

Technological innovation is also taking center stage.

The institute said the next five years will see breakthroughs in large variable-speed units and stable operations under wide load ranges， alongside the widespread application of digital and smart technologies across the industry chain to better meet the flexible regulatory needs of a modern power system.

A recent notice from the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration on refining the capacity pricing mechanism marks a major turning point， pushing the sector from a policy-driven model to a market-driven one.

Market returns will increasingly dictate profitability， which will incentivize enterprises to improve efficiency， strengthen operational management and lower costs.

To thrive in this new landscape， Zhao advised project investors to double down on technological innovation， optimize engineering designs and enhance their capabilities in electricity market operations.

This robust domestic momentum aligns seamlessly with China's global leadership in this area， said Francesco La Camera， director-general of the International Renewable Energy Agency.

La Camera said that while global renewable capacity additions hit a record 692 gigawatts in 2025， China is not only the main driver of this growth — it also accounts for over 60 percent of global capacity additions， while playing a leading role across the board in electric vehicles， energy storage deployment and grid investment.

Huang Qicontributed to this story.

翻译：

行业专家表示，在“十五五”规划期间（2026-2030年），中国的抽水蓄能水电产业将会迎来快速发展，有望成为推动该国实现绿色转型以及保障长期能源安全的重要力量。

他们表示，在接下来的五年里，该国预计将有约1亿千瓦的新抽水蓄能容量投入运营，年均新增容量将超过2000万千瓦，从而使该行业的发展达到历史最高水平。

中国可再生能源工程研究院副院长赵增海表示，抽水蓄能将在提升新能源的规模与质量、保障电力系统的安全稳定运行方面发挥越来越重要的不可替代的战略作用。

赵表示，与“十四五”规划期（2021-2025年）相比，该行业的发展规模预计将实现快速提升。

他表示，未来五年内计划投入使用的1亿千瓦新增装机容量，大约相当于2025年底该国现有总装机容量的1.5倍。因此，到2030年时，中国的抽水蓄能电站总装机容量有望达到约1.6亿千瓦。

同时，该国将积极有序地推进已获批项目的建设，努力在2035年前满足电力系统对4亿千瓦灵活调节能力的需求。

该机构在一份报告中指出，“十五五”规划将推动中国东部负荷中心与中西部新能源资源丰富地区之间形成协同发展的新格局。

赵表示：“虽然与新能源的更紧密协作能够有效缓解产量波动，大幅提升可再生能源的利用效率，同时还能为从新能源基地向其他地区输电提供必要的政策支持，进而显著提高输电通道的效率。”

国家电网能源研究院新能源部门的高级工程师叶晓宁表示，预计在未来几年里，抽水蓄能电站将在电力系统调节中的作用愈发重要。

叶表示：“除了利用其削峰填谷的能力来快速响应中东部地区的电网需求外，它们还将为能源资源丰富的西部和北部地区的电力外送提供重要支撑，从而有效缓解风能和太阳能发电量的波动，提升新能源的利用率。”

该行业能够快速响应电网调控需求，缓解风能和太阳能发电量的波动性，从而有效提升新能源的整合与利用效率。他补充说，近年来，该行业已从单纯追求规模扩张转向同时重视规模与质量，更加注重经济可行性、安全性以及环境因素。

技术创新也正日益成为焦点。

该研究所表示，在未来五年里，大容量变速机组以及能够在宽负荷范围内稳定运行的技术将会取得突破；同时，数字技术与智能技术也将在整个产业链中得到广泛应用，从而更好地满足现代电力系统对灵活调控的需求。

国家发展和改革委员会以及国家能源局近期发布的关于完善容量定价机制的通知，标志着一个重要的转折点——该行业正从政策驱动的模式转向市场驱动的模式。

市场回报将日益决定企业的盈利能力，这会促使企业提升效率、加强运营管理并降低成本。

为了在这个新环境中取得成功，赵建议项目投资者加大在技术创新方面的投入，优化工程设计，并提升其在电力市场运营方面的能力。

国际可再生能源机构总干事弗朗西斯科·拉卡梅拉表示，这种强劲的国内发展势头与中国在该领域的全球领导地位十分契合。

该机构表示，2025年全球可再生能源的新增装机容量达到了692吉瓦，创下了历史新高。中国不仅是推动这一增长的主要力量，其新增装机容量还占全球总量的60%以上。同时在电动汽车、能源存储系统以及电网建设等领域，中国也发挥着主导作用。

黄琪为这篇报道做出了贡献。

链接：https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202607/21/WS6a5ec5eea310986e2b46655c.html