City’s first new-type energy storage station nears completion

By Chen Si.

Yichang’s first new-type energy storage station has been connected to the power grid, with the whole project near completion.

With a total investment of 560 million yuan (US$82 million), the Changyang-based 50MW project is the first large-scale grid-side all-vanadium redox flow battery energy storage project in western Hubei Province.

So far, 20MW of the station’s energy storage units have been connected to the power grid, and the main transformer of the 110kV step-up substation, a key feature of this project, is running smoothly.

Equipped with 13 energy storage units, the power station has a maximum discharge power of 50MW and a 4-hour continuous discharge capacity, equivalent to the power output of 5.4 million 10,000mAh power banks. It can effectively help prevent power outages and grid failures for local industrial enterprises, significantly improving regional power supply reliability.
 

The Changyang new-type energy storage station is near completion.

“Construction of the project kicked off in September 2025. Currently, the final batch of 30MW energy storage units is undergoing pre-grid-connection inspection testing,” said Yang Yuhua, deputy general manager of the Changyang City Development Group Asset Company.

An all-vanadium redox flow battery is a type of redox battery that uses vanadium as the active material in a circulating liquid flow system. It collects and transmits current via double-electrode plates, converting chemical energy stored in the electrolyte solution into electrical energy.
 

The Changyang new-type energy storage station is near completion.

Because the active materials of vanadium batteries remain in liquid form and only vanadium ions are involved in the electrolyte, the battery undergoes no phase changes during charging and discharging, a common issue in conventional batteries, giving it a longer service life.

The vanadium battery system supports fully automatic closed-loop operation and features zero pollution, conveinent maintenance, and high safety standards with no risk of explosion or fire.

Yang Shuangrun, executive director and general manager of Changyang City Development Asset Management Co., Ltd., said the station’s core function is intelligent power regulation.

During off-peak hours, surplus grid electricity is converted into chemical energy and stored in the electrolyte of the all-vanadium redox flow batteries.

During peak daytime demand or when renewable energy output from wind and solar sources is insufficient, the battery system reverses to rapidly convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy, which is then fed into the power grid via 110kV transmission lines.
 

The Changyang new-type energy storage station is near completion.

The station also features intelligent control through a multi-sensor system and requires only a small operations team.

The station is expected to provide stable energy support for regional industrial production, residents’ daily lives, and local green low-carbon development.

Dong Zhilie, Chen Xiangrui, Li Jiaxuan also contributed to this story