The last power generation unit of the Baihetan hydropower station in southwest China passed its 72-hour trial run and started commercial operation on Thursday, bringing all eight units on the left bank of the project into operation, according to China Media Group (CMG).

The power generator, Unit 8, one of the 16 hydropower generating units built in the mega project, is the 12th million-kilowatt hydro-generator unit put into operation.

The Baihetan hydropower station is located on the Jinsha River in the upper section of the Yangtze River. It transmits electricity from the resource-rich west to energy-hungry regions in east China, marking a major step in the country's utilization of clean energy.

"During the research and development of hydropower generating units on the left bank of Baihetan, we organized a special sci-tech teams to tackle key problems in nine areas, including unit design, water power, electromagnetics, cooling and insulation," Wang Jun, chairman of Dongfang Electric Machinery Co., Ltd affiliated to the Dongfang Electric Co, Ltd. told CMG.

"We have come up with a series of core technologies with independent intellectual property rights," Wang said.

Once completed and put into operation, the hydropower station will generate an average of 62,400 gigawatt-hours of electricity every year and become the world's second-largest hydropower station after the Three Gorges Dam project in central China's Hubei Province.

"So far, the units that have been put into operation are in safe and stable run, with a cumulative power generation of more than 41,000 gigawatt-hours, guaranteeing the safe and stable supply of electricity," said Wang Zhilin, head of the Baihetan engineering construction department at the China Three Gorges Corporation.