A Chinese hydropower plant with a 303-meter-high dam has become the megaproject of the year

The hydropower plant in China with a 303-meter-high dam has become the megaproject of the year.

Its installed capacity is 3,000 megawatts.

The Lianghekou hydropower plant is among the key projects in China's 13th Five-Year Plan for 2016–2020. The station plays an important role in regulating water flow in the cascade of hydropower plants on the Yalong River.

303-meter dam

Construction of the hydropower plant began in 2014, and in 2024, it was accepted upon completion of construction.

The height of the rock-fill dam with a gravel-soil core reaches 303 meters. It has been certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the tallest rock-fill dam in the world.

The station was built at an average altitude of 3,000 meters above sea level, in an area where the ground freezes seasonally. Due to difficult natural conditions, builders were able to work productively for only about 200 days a year.

Constructing the underground machine hall under conditions of steep slopes and high natural stress in the rock mass, as well as building an ultra-high dam in cold and high-mountain conditions, created additional difficulties.

11 world records set in the project

During the construction process, technical tasks related to building the ultra-high rock-fill dam using intelligent technologies, continuing work in winter, and designing spillway structures intended for high pressure and high-velocity water flow were solved.

According to the source, a total of 11 world records were set within the framework of the project. Intelligent technologies were widely used at all stages of construction.

The Lianghekou hydropower plant generates approximately 11 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year.