After a major expansion, China's first underground salt cavern gas storage facility was put into operation on Sunday, its operator, China Oil & Gas Pipeline Network Corp, said.

The expansion project has dramatically increased the facility's operational efficiency, playing a critical role in balancing seasonal fluctuations in gas consumption, the company, also known as PipeChina, the country's largest energy infrastructure company, said.

The Jintan facility, located in Changzhou of East China's Jiangsu province, was built within a salt mine and utilizes natural salt formations to create stable underground caverns for storing natural gas.

Salt cavern compressed air energy storage (CAES) technology stores energy by using surplus electricity to compress air into underground salt caverns. This compressed air is then released to power turbines and generate electricity when demand is high.

Daily gas injection capacity has risen by 60 percent to 13.2 million cubic meters, while daily peak shaving withdrawal capacity has tripled to 18 million cubic meters. Emergency withdrawal capacity has also increased by 80 percent to 27 million cubic meters per day.

zhengxin@chinadaily.com.cn