A 20 GWh Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Power Plant (PDHES) has been put into operation in Valais, Switzerland. Upon completion at the end of 14 years, the power plant became one of the largest PDHES in Europe.
There are 6 turbines of 150 MW each
PDHES require two reservoirs with a height difference between them. When electricity demand increases or is expensive, power is generated from the flow of higher water to the lower reservoir, while water is pumped into the upper reservoir when power generation exceeds the needs of the grid or electricity is cheaper.
PDHES, which started its operations in Switzerland, consists of six turbines that can produce a total of 900 MW of instantaneous power. The upper Vieux Emosson reservoir, located at an altitude of 2,200m, holds 25 million cubic meters of water, representing 20GWh of energy storage capacity.
According to the statements made, 2.3 billion dollars was spent for the construction of PDHES, which has an efficiency of 80%. A total of 60 companies took part in the project.
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