Photo: Courtesy of PowerChina Chengdu Engineering Corporation Limited

The construction of the dam of the Yebatan hydropower station, the largest hydropower project in the upper reaches of the Jinsha River, exceeded 100 meters on Sunday, achieving a major milestone in the project, the Global Times learned from PowerChina Chengdu Engineering Corporation Limited (CECL), the designer of the project.  

The total installed capacity of the power station is designed to reach 2,240 megawatts after completion, with a maximum dam height of 217 meters. It is the tallest hyperbolic arch dam project under construction in China. It is a major project supported by the central government for the economic and social development of China's Xizang region, according to the CECL.

The Yebatan hydropower station is the 7th level of the 13 cascade hydropower stations in the upper reaches of the Jinsha River. It consists of a dam structure, a flood discharge structure and a water diversion and power generation system. The dam structure adopts a concrete hyperbolic arch dam, making it another super 200-meter-high arch dam project in China. 

The main construction of the project kicked off in December 2016. The first unit of the project is expected to have the conditions to generate electricity by the end of 2025 and the whole project is expected to be completed in 2026, according to the CECL.

The altitude of the project area ranges from 2,700 meters to 3,600 meters. Building the project under such complex conditions will face many challenges.  

"The harsh climate conditions pose great challenges to dam construction. The average temperature here is around 0 C for 4 months a year, and the temperature difference between day and night exceeds 20 C for nearly half of the time. Such projects generally require long winter breaks," said Zhang Chong, the chief designer of the Yebatan project at the CECL. 

In order to accelerate the construction of major energy projects and ensure quality, the CECL proposed a winter construction plan of "intelligent temperature control + permanent insulation + comprehensive heat storage," which achieved the first uninterrupted winter construction under similar climate conditions of similar projects, according to Zhang. 

The Yebatan project is worth of an investment of over 33 billion yuan ($4.6 billion) and a total construction period of 105 months, with an annual power generation capacity of 10.2 billion kilowatt-hours. After the power station is completed, it will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 7.4 million tons annually. It is of great significance to consolidate the achievements of poverty alleviation in the Xizang, promote the rural revitalization strategy in the region, optimize China's energy structure adjustment and help accelerate the achievement of the national "dual carbon" goals.