Underground power station

Inside the Robert-Bourassa generating station, in northern Quebec, the world's largest underground power station, with an installed capacity of 5,616 MW.

An underground power station is a type of hydroelectric power station constructed by excavating the major components (e.g. machine hall, penstocks, and tailrace) from rock, rather than the more common surface-based construction methods.

One or more conditions impact whether a power station is constructed underground. The terrain or geology around a dam is taken into consideration as gorges or steep valleys may not accommodate a surface power station. A power station within bedrock may be more inexpensive to construct than a surface power station on loose soil. Avalanche-prone valleys often make a surface station unfeasible as well.[1] After World War II, large hydroelectric power stations were placed underground more often in order to protect them from airstrikes.[2]

Often underground power stations form part of pumped storage hydroelectricity schemes, whose basic function is to level load: they use cheap or surplus off-peak power to pump water from a lower lake to an upper lake, then, during peak periods (when electricity prices are often high), the power station generates power from the water held in the upper lake.

Notable examples

Some notable underground power stations are:

See also

References

  1. A K Raja, Amit Prakash Shriwastava, Manish Dwivedi. Power Plant Engineering. Digital Designs. pp. 358–359. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  2. Dandekar, M. M.; Sharma, K. N. (2010). Water power engineering. Noida: Vikas Publishing House. p. 381. ISBN 0706986369. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  3. "Snoqualmie Falls Hydroelectric Project". Puget Sound Energy. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  4. "Kazunogawa Hydroelectric Power Plant, Japan". Power-Technology. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  5. Muccini, Sandra (August 2007). "UMA CONTRIBUIÇÃO À HISTORIOGRAFIA DE BASE LOCAL E" (PDF). Rios Eletrônica – Revista Científica da FASETE (in Portuguese) 1 (1).
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