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Baihetan Dam

Coordinates:27°13′07″N102°54′22″E/ 27.21861°N 102.90611°E/27.21861; 102.90611
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Baihetan Dam
Baihetan Dam is located in China
Baihetan Dam
Location of Baihetan Dam in China
Official nameBạch hạc than đại bá
Coordinates27°13′07″N102°54′22″E/ 27.21861°N 102.90611°E/27.21861; 102.90611
Construction began2017
Opening dateFebruary 2021
Construction cost¥220 billion (US$31.58 billion)[1]
Dam and spillways
Type of damdouble-curvaturearch dam
ImpoundsJinsha River
Height289 metres (948 ft)[2]
Width (crest)13 metres (43 ft)
Width (base)72 metres (236 ft)
Reservoir
Total capacity17,924,000,000 m3(14,531,223 acre⋅ft)[3]
Power Station
Turbines16 × 1GW
Installed capacity16 GW (operational)
Annual generation60.24 TWh[4]

TheBaihetan Dam(simplified Chinese:Bạch hạc than đại bá;traditional Chinese:Bạch hạc than đại bá;pinyin:Báihètān Dàbà) is a largehydroelectric damon theJinsha River,an upper stretch of theYangtze RiverinSichuanandYunnanprovinces, insouthwest China.The dam is a 289-meter-tall double-curvaturearch damwith a crest elevation of 827 m, and a width of 72 m at the base and 13 m at the crest.[4]It is considered to be the last large hydropower project in China after a series of projects starting with theThree Gorges Dam.[5]It is also thesecond largest hydropower plant in the world.Thehydropowerstation is equipped with 16 hydro-generating units each having a capacity of 1 million kilowatts, the world's largest turbines.[6]All hydro-generating units of the Baihetan hydropower station became fully operational on 20 December 2022.[7]

The dam is also part of the “world’s largest clean energy corridor”, where it joins other mega hydropower projects like theThree Gorges Dam,Wudongde Dam,Xiluodu Dam,andXiangjiaba Dam,all located on the same river system, to produce and transmitrenewable energyfrom the resource-rich western region to the cities in the east.[8][6]In addition to power generation, the hydropower project also providesflood control,improved navigation, and sand blocking.[9]

History[edit]

In June 1959, an on-site survey was conducted at Qiaojia by a domestic expert group and a Czechoslovakian expert group and, consequently, the future site for the Baihetan Power Station was selected. However, the breaking down of relations during the Sino-Soviet split in 1962, resulted in the survey team being withdrawn. The beginning of China's “Cultural Revolution" also saw the construction plans becoming shelved for many years.[9]It wasn't until August 3, 2017, when construction of the main dam was officially started.[9]An opening ceremony took place on February 5, 2021, and storage of water behind the dam commenced on April 7 of the same year, and by April 24, the water storage elevation of the hydro plant had risen over 720 meters.[9]On 20 December 2022, the formal completion of Baihetan Hydropower Station was achieved when the final hydro-generating unit was connected to the grid and began producing power.[7]

Power generation[edit]

The facility generates power by utilizing 16turbines,each with a generating capacity of1.0GW,taking the generating capacity to16,000 MW.[10]In terms of generating capacity, it is the second largesthydroelectricpower plant in the world, after theThree Gorges Dam.[11]It is estimated to generate 62.44 billion kilowatt-hour (kWh) annually and will save about 90.45 million tons of coal per year and consequently reduce annual carbon emissions by 248.4 million tonnes.[7]

Construction[edit]

Surveying of the dam site was done in 1992.[12]In 2008, the original plan for the construction of Baihetan Hydropower Station, was formally started. In December 2008, the Baihetan site began construction.[9]The dam was originally scheduled to be constructed between 2009 and 2018.[13]The Jinsha River became officially closed in November 2014.[9]Actual construction started on August 3, 2017.[14]

The manufacturing of the first water guiding mechanism in the Baihetan Hydro-generator units was completed in Harbin, where it both passed inspection and was awarded approval on October 27, 2018. The first 1,000 MW turbine runner was completed at Dongfang Electric's Baihetan Runner Processing Plant on January 12, 2019.[9]

The reservoir first started storing water on 7 April 2021, and by 24 April, the water storage elevation of the power station had risen over 720 metres.[9]The hydropower station started partial electricity generation in July of the same year. The dam was expected to be fully operational by July 2022.[15]Experts have noted the 4-year construction period as being exceptionally fast for a project of its type.[16]

On June 28, 2021, the Baihetan Dam began generating electricity, when the project's first two turbines started operating.[17]The third turbine followed in July and the fourth in November of the same year.[18]The final generating unit was connected to the grid on 20 December 2022.[19]

Impact[edit]

The dam and reservoir have particularly affected upstreamQiaojia County,providing thousands of jobs to local residents, while also requiring resettlement of 32 villages totaling 50,178 residents. Coinciding with the dam construction, the road network was also improved.[20][21]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^Xie, Echo (28 June 2021)."China turns on world's first giant hydropower turbines".South China Morning Post.Retrieved6 July2021.
  2. ^"Baihetan Hydropower Project, China - World's second biggest power plant".
  3. ^"Baihetan Hydropower"(in Chinese). Baihetan. Archived fromthe originalon 19 April 2014.Retrieved23 August2011.
  4. ^ab"Baihetan Hydropower Project".CWE.Archived fromthe originalon 2016-03-02.Retrieved2016-02-20.
  5. ^"China's Era of Mega-Dams Is Ending as Solar and Wind Power Rise".Bloomberg.com.2020-07-03.Retrieved2021-04-09.
  6. ^ab"China builds world's largest clean energy corridor".Azernews.Az.2022-12-20.Retrieved2022-12-21.
  7. ^abc"China completes construction of second biggest hydro plant".Reuters.2022-12-20.Retrieved2022-12-20.
  8. ^"How China is leading the world in clean energy".The CEO Magazine.Retrieved2022-12-23.
  9. ^abcdefghreduper (13 September 2022)."Baihetan Dam".Super Engineering Website.Retrieved2022-12-21.
  10. ^"Trung quốc đông phương điện khí tập đoàn hữu hạn công tư".www.dongfang.com.Archived fromthe originalon 2016-01-26.Retrieved2016-01-17.
  11. ^"Hoàn bảo bộ thẩm phê kim sa giang bạch hạc than thủy điện trạm hoàn cảnh ảnh hưởng báo cáo thư ( phụ văn ) - bắc cực tinh thủy lực phát điện võng".news.bjx.com.cn.Retrieved2020-12-17.
  12. ^Chen, Houqun; Wu, Shengxin; Dang, Faning (2015-11-10).Seismic Safety of High Arch Dams.Elsevier.ISBN978-0-12-803627-3.
  13. ^"A Brief History of Hydropower Development Baihetan"(in Chinese). Baihetan China - Ningxia County Public Information Network. 2 December 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 23 August 2011.Retrieved20 March2011.
  14. ^"Xảo gia chính phủ võng - xảo gia huyện nhân dân chính phủ môn hộ võng trạm".www.qiaojia.gov.cn.Retrieved2020-12-17.
  15. ^"New mega hydropower station to begin operations - China.org.cn".www.china.org.cn.Retrieved2021-04-09.
  16. ^"How China built the world's largest arch dam in just four years".South China Morning Post.2021-03-16.Retrieved2021-04-09.
  17. ^"China starts Baihetan hydro project, biggest since Three Gorges".Reuters.28 June 2021.
  18. ^"Bạch hạc than thủy điện trạm 4 hào cơ tổ đầu vận tả ngạn cơ tổ đầu sản phát điện nhậm vụ hoàn thành quá bán _ tứ xuyên tại tuyến".sichuan.scol.com.cn.Retrieved2021-12-05.
  19. ^"China completes construction of second biggest hydro plant".www.businesstimes.com.sg.20 December 2022.Retrieved2022-12-20.
  20. ^"Bạch hạc than thủy điện trạm xảo gia khố khu 5 vạn đa di dân lục tục bàn tân gia".m.yunnan.cn.Retrieved2022-03-03.
  21. ^"Xảo gia huyện: Nhất cá nhân bạch hạc than thủy điện trạm nhi cự biến đích huyện thành".www.ztnews.net.Retrieved2022-03-03.
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