China's new conduit hydropower plant begins operation

The first unit of the Huaneng Yingliangbao Hydropower Station, a conduit hydropower plant boasting two gigantic diversion tunnels, has been officially commissioned for electricity generation in Southwest China's Sichuan province.

According to its developer China Huaneng Group Co Ltd, the power station in Luding county of Sichuan province is the 14th along the mainstream of the Dadu River. It has a total installed capacity of 1.116 million kilowatts.

Utilizing the region's topography, construction workers constructed two water diversion tunnels each measuring 14.4 kilometers in length. The tunnels lead to an area with a water level difference of 116 meters between the reservoir and the power station.

Once operational, the power station is expected to provide over 5.18 billion kilowatt-hours of clean energy annually, sufficient to meet the annual electricity needs of 2.15 million households, according to the company.

This is equivalent to saving approximately 1.55 million tonnes of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by around 4.07 million tonnes, contributing to China's carbon neutrality goals.

The construction of the Huaneng Yingliangbao Hydropower Station, a key national hydropower plant project, officially started in 2019. The roll-out of all units is expected to be completed by 2025, when the power station will not only supply electricity to the Sichuan grid but also power grids outside the province.