Core-Wall of World's Highest Dam Filled with Anti-Seepage Materials

Anti-seepage materials were poured into the core-wall of the Shuangjiangkou hydropower plant's 315-meter dam, the world's highest, on April 26.

The gravel core-wall is the first of its kind to use a smart long-distance automatic belt conveyer to help blend the earth material. The highly-efficient system can precisely control the quality and ratio of the materials and at the same time needs less land space.

The dam, with a total concreting volume of 45 million cubic meters, is built in an extremely cold area with high ground stress and side slope. A deep foundation is needed to stabilize the dam with an ultra-high core-wall.

The core-wall project was designed and contracted by Chengdu Engineering Corporation Limited, a subsidiary of Power Construction Corporation of China (POWERCHINA).

Its engineering represents the highest level of design and construction of an embankment dam in the world.

It was also proof of the beginning of the dam's major hydropower stage.

The project was delayed for 40 days because of the COVID-19 outbreak. To guarantee the project's progress, all parties involved in the project held video conferences to exchange ideas about concreting technical skills and report on seepage-proofing.

Located at Barkam, the capital of the Aba Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture in Southwest China's Sichuan province, the power plant, contracted by POWERCHINA's Sinohydro Bureau 7 Co., Ltd, has an installed capacity of 2 million kW and is a major power project of China's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20).

Upon completion, the flood control capacity and regional ecological condition at the downstream region of the Dadu River will be greatly improved.

The project will also play a role in alleviating poverty in affected areas and push forward social and economic development in Sichuan.

The construction of the gravel core-wall of the Shuangjiangkou hydropower plant's 315-meter dam, the world's highest, started on April 26. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

(Executive editor: Zhang Tianyuan)