Jinping-I Hydropower Station
Encyclopedia
The Jinping-I Hydropower Station (also known as the Jinping-I Dam, Jinping 1st Cascade or Jinping No.1 Hydraulic Power Station), is a large hydroelectric
project on the "Jinping Bend" of the Yalong River
(Yalong Jjiang) in Sichuan
, China
. Construction on the project began in 2005 and when complete, it will have a 3600 MW capacity to produce between 16 and 18 TW·h (billion kW·h) annually. Supplying the power station
will be a reservoir
created by a 305 m tall arch dam
, soon to be the tallest in the world. The project's objective is to supply energy for expanding industrialization and urbanization
, improve flood
protection, and prevent erosion
.
production. Two projects were planned for the bend, the Jinping I and Jinping II with a combined capacity of 8,400 MW. Planning for the projects began in the 1960s under the former Sichuan and Shanghai design institutes along with the Ministry of Water Resources and Electric Power
. They produced the "Reinvestigation Report on The Yalong River bend (Jinping)". In July 1965, the Jinping Hydropower Engineering Headquarters was set up and designs for the Jinping 1 and Jinping 2 would progress with the East China Investigation and Design Instititute .
Construction began on 12 November 2005. Expectations are that power first will be generated in 2012 with the remainder of the work completed by 2014.
is on the border of the Yanyuan and Muli
districts in the autonomous Liangshan Yi area of the Sichuan province. The Yalong River
, which the dam will control, is the largest tributary of the Jinsha
. For the project, approximately 7,500 inhabitants will be relocated.
made of 7.4 million m3 of material. The power station
will contain six 600 MW Francis turbine
s. Water discharged from the power station can then be diverted by the Jinping 2 Dam to the Jinping 2 Hydropower Station.
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
project on the "Jinping Bend" of the Yalong River
Yalong River
The Nyag Qu or Yalong River, also called Ya-lung River is an 822 mile long river in the Sichuan province of southern China. It flows into the Yangtze River along the border with Yunnan. It is a tributary of the Yangtze River...
(Yalong Jjiang) in Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
, China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. Construction on the project began in 2005 and when complete, it will have a 3600 MW capacity to produce between 16 and 18 TW·h (billion kW·h) annually. Supplying the power station
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
will be a reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
created by a 305 m tall arch dam
Arch dam
An arch dam is a type of dam that is curved and commonly built with concrete. The arch dam is a structure that is designed to curve upstream so that the force of the water against it, known as hydrostatic pressure, presses against the arch, compressing and strengthening the structure as it pushes...
, soon to be the tallest in the world. The project's objective is to supply energy for expanding industrialization and urbanization
Urbanization
Urbanization, urbanisation or urban drift is the physical growth of urban areas as a result of global change. The United Nations projected that half of the world's population would live in urban areas at the end of 2008....
, improve flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
protection, and prevent erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
.
History
Harnessing hydropower on the Jinping bend of the Yalong River has been in planning for decades. The length of bend is 150 km but the downstream part of the river on the opposite side is only separated by 16 km. Between that distance, there is an elevation drop of 310 m, creating an excellent situation for hydroelectricityHydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
production. Two projects were planned for the bend, the Jinping I and Jinping II with a combined capacity of 8,400 MW. Planning for the projects began in the 1960s under the former Sichuan and Shanghai design institutes along with the Ministry of Water Resources and Electric Power
Ministry of Water Resources of the People's Republic of China
The Ministry of Water Resources of the People's Republic of China is the executive government agency of the Central People's Government responsible for managing the water resources in China....
. They produced the "Reinvestigation Report on The Yalong River bend (Jinping)". In July 1965, the Jinping Hydropower Engineering Headquarters was set up and designs for the Jinping 1 and Jinping 2 would progress with the East China Investigation and Design Instititute .
Construction began on 12 November 2005. Expectations are that power first will be generated in 2012 with the remainder of the work completed by 2014.
Geography
The Jinping 1 power stationPower station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
is on the border of the Yanyuan and Muli
Muli
Muli may refer to:Places:*Mili Tibetan Autonomous County, or Muli from its Chinese name, of Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan, China*Muli, Gaoqing County , town in Gaoqing County, Shandong, China...
districts in the autonomous Liangshan Yi area of the Sichuan province. The Yalong River
Yalong River
The Nyag Qu or Yalong River, also called Ya-lung River is an 822 mile long river in the Sichuan province of southern China. It flows into the Yangtze River along the border with Yunnan. It is a tributary of the Yangtze River...
, which the dam will control, is the largest tributary of the Jinsha
Jinsha
Jinsha is an archaeological site in Sichuan, China. Located in the Qingyang District of Chengdu Prefecture, Along the Modi River Jinsha is an archaeological site in Sichuan, China. Located in the Qingyang District of Chengdu Prefecture, Along the Modi River Jinsha is an archaeological site in...
. For the project, approximately 7,500 inhabitants will be relocated.
Characteristics
The power station will be supplied with water from a 7.7 billion m3 reservoir created by a 305m tall, 568m long thin double-curvature arch damDam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
made of 7.4 million m3 of material. The power station
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
will contain six 600 MW Francis turbine
Francis turbine
The Francis turbine is a type of water turbine that was developed by James B. Francis in Lowell, Massachusetts. It is an inward-flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts....
s. Water discharged from the power station can then be diverted by the Jinping 2 Dam to the Jinping 2 Hydropower Station.