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China’s Highest-Power Single Flywheel Enters Operation at Huaneng’s Lanzhou Plant
A flywheel energy storage project featuring what is reported to be China’s highest-power individual flywheel entered grid-connected operation at Huaneng’s Lanzhou thermal power plant on November 6, 2026. The project uses a dual-flywheel configuration to improve the generating unit’s frequency regulation performance and support grid stability in northwestern China.
The system combines a 5 MW high-power flywheel with a 0.5 MW inertia flywheel. The two units provide complementary, tiered responses: the larger flywheel addresses significant grid frequency deviations, while the smaller unit manages routine, lower-amplitude fluctuations.
According to the report, the thermal generating unit equipped with the dual-flywheel system can respond to grid frequency regulation requests in less than 100 milliseconds, with regulation accuracy exceeding 99.5%.
A 5 MW Flywheel for Fast Frequency Regulation
The flywheel energy storage project at Huaneng’s Lanzhou thermal power plant. Photo: China Huaneng.
The 5 MW flywheel is reported to have the highest power rating of any individual flywheel currently operating in China. Its reported specifications include a power ramp rate of 5 MW per second, an energy storage capacity of 1,250 kWh, charge-discharge efficiency above 85%, and a cycle life of up to 10 million cycles.
Flywheel energy storage stores electricity as rotational kinetic energy in a high-speed rotor. During charging, electricity accelerates the rotor; during discharge, the stored kinetic energy is converted back into electricity. Rapid charging and discharging make the technology suitable for applications requiring fast, frequent power adjustments.
Supporting Grid Stability in Northwestern China
The project was led by Huaneng’s Gansu subsidiary, with technology research and development undertaken by Xi’an Thermal Power Research Institute.
The installation is expected to strengthen the plant’s frequency regulation response and improve the regional grid’s ability to withstand disturbances, supporting the safe and stable operation of the power system in northwestern China.
Source: Science and Technology Daily, November 6, 2026. Adapted from the original Chinese report.
Photo credit: China Huaneng.
The Largest Independent Energy Storage Power Station for Frequency Regulation and Peak Shaving in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area Commences Operation
China Gezhouba Group Co., Ltd under the Energy China
On October 1, the largest grid-side independent energy storage power station for frequency regulation and peak shaving in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area -- the Grid-Side Independent Energy Storage Power Station in Maba Town, Qujiang District, Shaoguan City, Guangdong Province -- was officially put into operation. The project, undertaken by China Gezhouba Group Co., Ltd of the Energy China under an EPC contract, adds strong momentum to Guangdong Province’s efforts to build a trillion-yuan-level industry cluster of new energy storage.
The Grid-Side Independent Energy Storage Power Station in Maba Town, Qujiang District, Shaoguan City
Located in Qujiang District, Shaoguan City, Guangdong Province, the project covers an area of approximately 48.99 mu (3.27 hectares) and consists of 70 sets of lithium iron phosphate battery containers, each with a single-unit capacity of 6 MWh. It is the largest grid-side independent energy storage power station for frequency regulation and peak shaving in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. As the first independent energy storage power station in Shaoguan City, the project has been included in Guangdong Province’s list of key projects for 2025.
Site of the energy storage power station
The project includes a 208 MW / 416 MWh electrochemical energy storage system and a 12-kilometer outgoing transmission line, along with a supporting 220 kV booster station. Once in operation, the power station can store up to 416,000 kWh of electricity at full capacity and deliver approximately 298 million kWh of electricity annually, meeting the power needs of nearly 140,000 households while reducing carbon dioxide emissions by about 208,000 tons each year. At the same time, leveraging its grid regulation technology advantages, the project will effectively smooth out fluctuations in wind and solar power generation and help ease frequency regulation and peak-shaving pressures on the regional power grid.
Site of the energy storage power station
In addition, leveraging the “energy storage + computing power” collaborative model, the power station provides stable electricity support for the data center cluster in Shaoguan City, Guangdong Province -- a core hub of the national integrated computing power network in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. This effectively supports the implementation of China’s “East Data, West Computing” project, promotes the deep integration of green energy and the digital economy in the Greater Bay Area, and provides a solid guarantee for power consumption in northern Guangdong and the safe, stable operation of the power grid system.
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