China's highest-altitude hydropower station begins power generation

China's highest-altitude hyperbolic arch dam hydropower project under construction, the Yebatan Hydropower Station, put its first batch of generating units into operation on Saturday, adding fresh momentum to the country's efforts to build a new energy system and strengthen energy security.

Located on the mainstream of the Jinsha River in southwest China, the project is a major undertaking listed in China's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025). With a total installed capacity of 2.24 million kilowatts, it is the largest hydropower station by capacity on the Sichuan-Xizang section of the upper Jinsha River. 

The dam has a maximum height of 217 meters and features complex engineering conditions, including high altitude, cold climate, an ultra-high arch dam, high in-situ stress, deep burial and a large-span underground powerhouse.

Units No. 4 and No. 3 were commissioned in the first phase, achieving the milestone of bringing two units online within a single month.

During construction, project developers carried out research on winter concrete pouring techniques for ultra-high arch dams in high-altitude, cold regions. For the first time in China, uninterrupted, year-round concrete pouring for a dam was achieved under such conditions, providing valuable experience for "seamless dam" construction in similar environments.

Once fully operational, the hydropower station is expected to generate more than 10.2 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, saving about 3.1 million tonnes of standard coal each year and cutting carbon dioxide emissions by over 8.3 million tonnes.  

The clean electricity will be transmitted to central China via the Jinsha River-Hubei ±800 kV ultra-high-voltage direct current (UHVDC) transmission project, a large-capacity hydropower-solar hybrid corridor, helping optimize China's energy mix, advance the green and low-carbon transition and enhance national energy security.