China makes history by unveiling the Lianghekou mega hydroelectric power plant. It is almost the size of the Eiffel Tower and the highest in the country.
There is a colossal hydroelectric power plant at an altitude of 3.000 meters. It generates 11.000 million kWh of energy and is a construction as large as the Eiffel Tower. It is worth highlighting the concept of hydroelectric plants, which are infrastructures in which hydraulic energy is used to produce large quantities of electrical energy. The design and distribution of its components allow it to take advantage of the force that impacts a water current on a turbine, making it rotate at high speed. This turning movement is transmitted through mechanisms so that an electrical generator takes advantage of it and generates electrical energy.
The use of a hydroelectric plant is one of the most used ways to obtain electrical energy, given that the amount of energy is high compared to other systems. Furthermore, a renewable resource such as water is used for this.
China unveils colossal hydroelectric power plant
China makes history and reveals the Lianghekou mega hydroelectric plant. It is almost the size of the Eiffel Tower and the highest in the country. It is a gigantic construction that boasts an average altitude of 3.000 meters, placing it above the rest of the plants in China. It is located on the Yalong River, in Garzê, in the southwest of the country. On the other hand, its total planned installed capacity registers three million kW.
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This construction began almost ten years ago, in October 2014, and those responsible only finished it in 2023. Analyzing the numbers, the approved investment is around 66.500 million yuan, which is equivalent to 9.449 million euros. The reservoir's design allows it to reach almost 11.000 million cubic meters (m³), specifically 10.800.
Furthermore, it is estimated that the annual volume of energy production exceeds 11.000 million kWh. The first unit of the hydroelectric plant was put into operation in September 2021.
China's hydropower plant sets a precedent
According to the Yalong River Hydropower Development Company Ltd (YLHDC), at its highest point, the rockfill dam rises 295 meters, reaching the level of the Eiffel Tower (which is located at around 300 m without counting the antenna). The hydroelectric plant integrates, among other elements, spillways, a ventilation tunnel and an underground energy plant.
State news agency Xinhua points out that the hydroelectric plant will be a turning point in the supply of Sichuan and the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle.
The state agency published images and videos showing the hydroelectric plant both outside and inside, including the rooms where operators work, the six energy production units and monitoring equipment. The plant is located about 25 kilometers upriver from Yajiang County in Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.
Technical details and the colossal construction
Adding it all up, we reach 1,57 kilometers in length. Its water collection tower reaches 115 meters high, 160 meters wide and 33 meters long. Its high height allows it to reach an average altitude of 3.000 meters, the highest in the country for an infrastructure of these characteristics and, according to the Global Times, the second highest in the world.
The Lianghekou hydropower plant is one of 22 plants that will work on the main course of the Yalong, with approval from authorities in 2014. This is not the only project that puts China in the spotlight. The construction of this gigantic infrastructure represents a milestone in the construction of hydroelectric works, demonstrating China's capacity and ambition to lead in the renewable energy sector.