Yangyang Pumped Storage Power Station
The Yangyang Pumped Storage Power Station uses the water of the Namdae-Chun River to operate a pumped storage hydroelectric power scheme, about west of Yangyang in Gangwon Province, South Korea. The lower reservoir is created by the Yangyang Dam on the Namdae and the upper reservoir by the Inje Dam is located above the power plant. Construction on the power plant began in 1996 and it was completed and dedicated on September 13, 2006. It is operated by Korean Midland Power Co., a subsidiary of Korea Electric Power Company and was completed at a  cost of ₩1.1 trillion won (US$1.4 billion). The first generator was operational on February 23, 2006 and the last August 10, 2006. Design and operation. The operation of the power plant begins on the Namdae-Chun River where it is dammed by the Yangsang (Sangbu) Dam at , creating the lower reservoir. This dam is tall and long concrete gravity dam. Water from a catchment area collects into the lower reservoir which has a capacity, of which is active (or "useful") capacity for the power station. The lower reservoir has a surface area of and operates at storage levels  between above sea level. During low electricity demand periods, such as the night time, water from the lower reservoir is pumped above the valley to the upper reservoir in the mountains. The upper reservoir is created by the Inje Dam, located west of the Yangyang Dam at . The Inje is a tall and long rock-fill embankment dam. The capacity of the upper reservoir is and it has a surface area of . When electricity demand rises and the power plant begins to operate, water is released from the upper reservoir back towards the underground power plant, at the western edge  of the lower reservoir. Water fluctuations in the upper reservoir range from and above sea level. The power plant contains four 250 MW reversible Francis turbine-generators for an installed capacity of 1,000 MW. The drop in elevation affords a maximum hydraulic head (drop) of and effective head of . Additionally, there are 2 x Wind turbines installed at the upper reservoir and a 1.5 MW small hydro turbine on the Yangsang Dam.