In North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, a coal mine named Prosper-Haniel, after half a century of coal mining, is quietly transforming into a 200,000-kilowatt pumped storage power station. Once the 600-meter deep mine renovation is completed, it will be able to supply electricity to 400,000 households, becoming an important pillar of the state's renewable energy system.

This is not an isolated case. From Europe to North America, from Australia to China, an innovative practice of transforming abandoned mines and operating mining areas into energy storage facilities is accelerating globally.

Energy storage in mining areas has become a major highlight of the energy transition. As the global energy structure accelerates its shift towards renewable energy, how to address the intermittency and instability of renewable energy has become a key technical challenge.

At the same time, more and more mining areas are facing resource depletion or transformation pressures. These mining areas often have unique advantages: existing grid connections, vast land resources, and favorable geological conditions, all of which facilitate the construction of energy storage projects.

The development of energy storage in mining areas perfectly addresses these two major challenges. On one hand, it provides a huge "power bank" for the large-scale consumption of renewable energy; on the other hand, it offers a new direction for the transformation and upgrading of traditional mining areas.

In the Western Macedonia region of Greece and the Bełchatów region of Poland, two large-scale pumped storage hydropower projects are under construction, funded by the European Union, aimed at transforming former coal mining areas into renewable energy hubs.

The renovation plan for the Prosper-Haniel coal mine in Germany is quite innovative. The upper and lower parts of the mine will be constructed into a reservoir, with a total storage capacity of 1 million cubic meters. When electricity is needed, the water level of the reservoir can be lowered by 1,200 meters, driving the turbine generators at the bottom of the coal mine to generate power.

This plan makes full use of the existing underground space and infrastructure of the coal mine, significantly reducing construction costs and time. Since its production began in 1974, the coal mine has been excavated to a depth of 600 meters, with a total length of horizontal tunnels of 26 kilometers. These existing facilities provide excellent conditions for its transformation into a pumped storage power station.

In Kingman, Arizona, a 50MW/200MWh battery energy storage system has been put into commercial operation in October 2025. This is the largest customer-side battery storage project in Arizona and the fourth largest customer-side storage project in the United States.

The system consists of 58 Tesla Megapack 2XL units, supporting the arc furnace expansion project at Nucor Steel, aimed at increasing its annual production capacity to 600,000 tons.

This project demonstrates how battery energy storage systems support energy-intensive industrial operations, enhance grid reliability, and contribute to the development of the local economy.

In the traditional coal-producing regions of Western Macedonia in Greece and Bełchatów in Poland, a "just transition" for the regional economy is being promoted through the construction of hybrid pumped storage facilities.

Research shows that pumped storage hydropower can alleviate the economic recession caused by coal mine closures by creating job opportunities, stabilizing the local economy, and supporting environmental sustainability through reduced emissions.

These projects demonstrate a technology-driven socio-economic transformation model, providing replicable experiences for other coal mining areas facing similar challenges.

In Fengcheng, Jiangxi Province, a 10MW/20MWh liquid-cooled energy storage system has been put into operation. This project innovatively combines photovoltaic peak shaving with the "two charge and two discharge" strategy, and it is expected to save over 21.25 million yuan in electricity costs during the operational period, with an investment payback period of about 5 years, demonstrating significant economic benefits.

This case demonstrates a mature business model for energy storage in mining areas. Through an intelligent energy management system, charging occurs during off-peak hours when electricity prices are low, and discharging takes place during peak hours when electricity prices are high, transforming the energy storage system from a mere backup device into an asset that can sustainably generate profits.

The first coal mine "immersion liquid cooling" energy storage project in the country has been trial-operated in Changzhi, Shanxi. This technology directly immerses the battery in the cooling liquid, achieving extreme thermal management and significantly enhancing the system's safety and lifespan.

This technology addresses the most critical safety issue in the energy storage industry—battery thermal runaway. Even under extreme conditions, the coolant can quickly dissipate heat, preventing battery fires and explosions, thereby clearing safety barriers for the large-scale promotion and application of energy storage in mining areas.

In the Liupanshui coal mine in Guizhou, a 5MW/5MWh grid-forming energy storage system provides a "millisecond-level" response emergency power supply for the mine, ensuring the uninterrupted operation of key equipment such as the main ventilation fan and gas extraction pump under extreme conditions.

This project adopts advanced grid-type energy storage technology, which not only passively responds to changes in the power grid but also actively enhances the stability of the grid. The intelligent energy management platform it is equipped with achieves "cloud-edge-end integration" for intelligent scheduling, ensuring flawless energy management.

The technical route of energy storage in mining areas is showing a trend of diversified development, with different technologies suitable for different mining conditions.

Pumped storage is the most mature energy storage technology, particularly suitable for abandoned mining areas with appropriate terrain and water sources. The transformation of the Prosper-Haniel coal mine in Germany is a typical case. Such projects are large in scale and have a long lifespan, but they have high geographical requirements.

Battery energy storage is the most flexible energy storage technology, applicable from kilowatt-level residential systems to hundred-megawatt-level grid projects. The Kingman project in Arizona, USA, demonstrates the capability of battery energy storage in supporting industrial operations. Such projects have short construction cycles and fast response times, but their lifespan is relatively short.

Mixed pumped storage combines the advantages of pumped storage and battery storage, providing greater operational flexibility and efficiency by integrating various renewable energy sources. The projects in Greece and Poland are representatives of this technology.

The value brought by energy storage in mining areas is comprehensive, covering multiple dimensions of economy, environment, and society.

From the perspective of economic benefits, energy storage in mining areas can significantly reduce electricity costs for the mines. The project at the Fengcheng Coal Mine in Jiangxi is expected to save more than 21.25 million yuan in electricity costs over its lifecycle. In addition, by providing services to the power grid, additional ancillary service revenue can also be obtained.

From the perspective of environmental contribution, these projects enable the reuse of abandoned mines, reducing the pressure for the development of new land. At the same time, by promoting the consumption of renewable energy, a significant amount of carbon emissions can be reduced each year.

From the perspective of social benefits, energy storage projects in mining areas can create job opportunities for traditional mining communities. A pumped storage project in Bell County, Kentucky, is expected to create approximately 1,500 construction jobs and 30 operational jobs, which is particularly important for traditional mining regions.

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