Datengxia Hydropower Project on Left Bank of Qianjiang River in Full Operation

The Datengxia hydropower project on the left bank of the Qianjiang River, a tributary of the West Pearl River, went into full operation as the last generator unit started service on July 31.

Located in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, the project is expected to play a role in boosting high-quality economic and social development in affected areas.

Sinohydro Bureau 8 Co. Ltd, a subsidiary of Power Construction Corporation of China (POWERCHINA) was responsible for main construction on both banks of the river and guaranteed on-schedule progress despite the COVID-19 outbreak, high temperature weather and the floods.

So far, three generator units on the left bank are working stably to deliver accurate reservoir regulation, playing their role in stopping flooding after impounding.

It is estimated that the three generator units can produce 3.75 billion kWh of power annually, providing continuous clean energy to Guangxi.

Moreover, vessels as heavy as 3,000 tons can now navigate the Qianjiang River thanks to the project.

As the water storage is increased by nearly 700 million cubic meters, the time required for emergency water allocation to the Pearl River Delta region is shortened to three days, which greatly improves water supply capacity to the region as well as Macao.

Construction of the project on the river's right bank is still underway.

The Datengxia hydropower project is an icon of the 172 water conservation and supply projects approved by the State Council.

Integrating functions like flood control, shipping, power generation, water resource allocation and irrigation, it is a key hydraulic project in the Pearl River Basin and is dubbed the "Three Gorges Project on the Pearl River".

The total installed capacity of the project is 1.6 million kW with eight 200,000 kW water-turbine generator units. They are the largest axial-flow Kaplan turbines in China.

A view of the Datengxia hydropower project on left bank [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

(Executive editor: Wang Ruoting)