DL E&C Resumes Pumped Storage Power Plant Construction After 14 Years, Accelerates Energy Infrastructure Expansion

[Rebuild K-Construction]
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DL E&C is accelerating the expansion of its portfolio in the energy infrastructure sector by resuming the construction of pumped storage power plants after 14 years. The construction of new pumped storage power plants in South Korea had been halted since the Yecheon Pumped Storage Power Plant in North Gyeongsang Province in 2011, but has recently resumed. Pumped storage power generation is drawing attention as a method of power generation, as the demand for electricity storage has surged with the expansion of solar-centered renewable energy.

Perspective view of Yeongdong Pumped Storage Power Plant. DL E&C.

According to DL E&C on December 4, the company began construction of the Yeongdong Pumped Storage Power Plant in North Chungcheong Province this past April. This is the first new pumped storage project in South Korea in 14 years, and the current progress rate is about 9%. DL E&C is currently carrying out initial key processes such as the excavation of the main tunnel and access tunnel. Upon completion in the second half of 2030, the plant will have a generation capacity of 500MW.

Pumped storage works by pumping water to an upper reservoir when electricity demand is low, and then releasing it to generate power when demand rises or solar power output drops. It takes only a few minutes to begin generating electricity. Pumped storage acts as a buffer to absorb sudden increases in demand during periods of power supply instability. In particular, as the share of solar power has recently increased, pumped storage is being used as a "renewable energy supplement device" by storing surplus electricity generated during the day and releasing it in the evening.

Through the 11th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand, the government aims to expand pumped storage capacity to 5.7GW by 2037. Currently, new pumped storage power plants are under construction or in the business process at nine locations nationwide.

The Yecheon Pumped Storage Power Plant, which was the last existing pumped storage power plant. DL E&C.

The construction of the Yeongdong Pumped Storage Power Plant is considered a high-difficulty project that requires the highest level of technical expertise in South Korea. DL E&C must build a 430-meter vertical tunnel-the equivalent of about 143 apartment floors-to connect the upper and lower reservoirs. To achieve this, the company is using a Raise Boring Machine (RBM) equipped with an "automatic vertical alignment device" to minimize vertical deviation during excavation. DL E&C is recognized as having industry-leading capabilities in operating this equipment and in precision excavation technology.

DL E&C boasts the most extensive track record among domestic construction companies for hydro and dam projects, including the Yecheon Pumped Storage Power Plant, the Karun Dam in Iran, and the Gulpur Hydropower Plant in Pakistan. Leveraging this technical expertise and construction experience, the company successfully secured the Yeongdong project.

A DL E&C representative stated, "Our company completed the last pumped storage power plant in South Korea and has now taken on a new pumped storage project after 14 years. The fact that we won the contract by meeting the stringent technical and quality standards of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power is proof of our verified technical capabilities and competitiveness."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.