China's giant compressed air energy storage plant gets turbine unit

China’s Huaneng Jintan Salt Cavern Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) Phase II project in Changzhou city has successfully completed the installation of its turbine unit, marking a significant advancement for the world’s largest CAES facility. This technology stores energy by compressing air into underground salt caverns during low power demand periods and releasing it to generate electricity during peak demand, thus aiding grid stability and renewable energy integration. The new turbine can ramp up to full load within about 10 minutes, enabling rapid response to peak-shaving demands. The plant is designed to perform approximately 330 charge-discharge cycles annually, with each charge storing 2.8 million kWh—enough to power 100,000 new-energy vehicles—and is projected to save 270,000 tonnes of coal and reduce CO2 emissions by 520,000 tonnes per year. This project is a national demonstration and the first commercial CAES power station in China, developed jointly by China National Salt Group,