Bath County Pumped Storage Station
The Bath County Pumped Storage Station is a pumped storage hydroelectric power plant, which is described as the "largest battery in the world", with a maximum generation capacity of 3,003 MW, an average of 2,772 MW, and a total storage capacity of 24,000 MWh. The station is located in the northern corner of Bath County, Virginia, on the southeast side of the Eastern Continental Divide, which forms this section of the border between Virginia and West Virginia. The station consists of two reservoirs separated by about 1,260 feet (380 m) in elevation. It was the largest pumped-storage power station in the world until 2021, when it was surpassed by the Fengning Pumped Storage Power Station.
| Bath County Pumped Storage Station | |
|---|---|
Location of Bath County Pumped Storage Station in Virginia | |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Bath County, Virginia |
| Coordinates | 38°13′50″N 79°49′10″W |
| Purpose | Power |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | March 1977 |
| Opening date | December 1985 |
| Construction cost | US$1.6 billion ($4.53 billion in 2023 dollars) |
| Owner(s) | Dominion Generation (60%) LS Power (40%) |
| Upper dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Embankment dam |
| Height (foundation) | 460 ft (140 m) |
| Length | 2,200 ft (670 m) |
| Dam volume | 18,000,000 cu yd (14,000,000 m3) |
| Upper reservoir | |
| Total capacity | 35,599 acre⋅ft (43,911,000 m3) |
| Surface area | 265 acres (107 ha) |
| Lower dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Embankment dam |
| Height (foundation) | 135 ft (41 m) |
| Length | 2,400 ft (730 m) |
| Dam volume | 4,000,000 cu yd (3,100,000 m3) |
| Spillways | 1 |
| Lower reservoir | |
| Total capacity | 27,927 acre⋅ft (34,447,000 m3) |
| Surface area | 555 acres (225 ha) |
| Power Station | |
| Coordinates | 38°12′32″N 79°48′00″W |
| Commission date | December 1985 |
| Type | Pumped-storage |
| Hydraulic head | 1,262 feet (385 m) |
| Pump-generators | 6 × 480/500.5 MW Francis pump-turbines |
| Installed capacity | 3003 MW |
| Overall efficiency | 79% |
| Storage capacity | 11 hours (24,000 MWh) |
| 2017 generation | -935 GW·h |
| Website Bath County Pumped Storage Station Website | |
Construction on the power station, with an original capacity of 2,100 megawatts (2,800,000 hp), began in March 1977 and was completed in December 1985 at a cost of $1.6 billion, Voith-Siemens upgraded the six turbines between 2004 and 2009, increasing power generation to 500.5 MW and pumping power to 480 megawatts (640,000 hp) for each turbine. Bath County Station is jointly owned by Dominion Generation (60%) and FirstEnergy (40%), and managed by Dominion. It stores energy for PJM Interconnection, a regional transmission organization in 13 states and the District of Columbia.