Recently, the Technical Requirements for Thermal Storage and Heat Exchange Systems in Compressed Air Energy Storage Power Stations, led by the China Energy Engineering Group Digital Technology Group Co., Ltd. (CEEC Digital Tech Group), has been approved as a recommended national standard under the 2025 third batch of national standardization projects (National Standard Plan No.: 20250897-T-524). Its foreign-language edition was also approved simultaneously (National Standard Foreign-Language Plan No.: W20255459).
As one of the most promising long-duration physical energy storage technologies, compressed air energy storage (CAES) holds vast market potential. However, there is an urgent need for relevant technical standards to support its development. This standard was proposed by CEEC Digital Tech Group in collaboration with Harbin Turbine Co., Ltd., the Institute of Engineering Thermophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing University of Technology, Central Southern China Electric Power Design Institute Co., Ltd. (under China Power Engineering Consulting Group), and the Engineering Research Institute of China Energy Engineering Group Co., Ltd. This marks another milestone following CEEC Digital Tech Group’s 2023 leadership in drafting the energy industry standard Calculation Methods for Efficiency Indicators of Compressed Air Energy Storage Power Stations.
The new standard aims to establish technical requirements for efficient, safe, and reliable thermal storage and heat exchange systems in CAES power stations. It standardizes system design and performance testing methods from the perspective of practical application needs, while specifying technical requirements for systems using various thermal storage media, including water, molten salt, and thermal oil. The development of this standard will enhance the design quality of thermal storage and heat exchange systems in CAES power stations, fill domestic gaps in this field, improve station safety and reliability, and support China’s efforts to build a new power system and achieve its dual-carbon goals. The simultaneous preparation of a foreign-language edition will facilitate international engineering collaboration.
In 2021, CEEC established a technical standards working group for dual-carbon initiatives and digital transformation, covering 21 fields, including energy storage and hydrogen. In June 2022, CEEC Digital Tech Group released the CAES Technical Standards System of CEEC, comprising 139 standards across nine categories: general fundamentals, technical requirements, testing and inspection, installation and commissioning, operation and maintenance, maintenance protocols, grid integration and dispatch, safety-health-environment (SHE), and technical management. In January 2025, the world’s first 300 MW CAES demonstration project, the “Nengchu No.1” station in Yingcheng, Hubei Province, achieved full-capacity grid-connected power generation. Leveraging experience from this project, CEEC Digital Tech Group has developed over 70 technical standards in the CAES field.
