The Yantan Dam is a gravity dam

Dam

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...

 on the Hongshui River

Hongshui River

The Hongshui River is a major river in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in Southern China. It is one of the main rivers in the basin of the Xi River, which in its turn is one of the main tributaries of the Pearl River....

 near in Dahua Yao Autonomous County

Dahua Yao Autonomous County

Dahua Yao Autonomous County is a county of Guangxi, China. It is under the administration of Hechi city....

, Guangxi

Guangxi

Guangxi, formerly romanized Kwangsi, is a province of southern China along its border with Vietnam. In 1958, it became the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, a region with special privileges created specifically for the Zhuang people.Guangxi's location, in...

 China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

. The main purpose of the dam is hydroelectric power production and it has an associated 1,210 MW power station consisting of 4 x 302.5 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....

-generators.

Construction

The dam was placed on the state key project list in 1984 and construction began in March 1985. By November 1987, the river was diverted and in March 1992, the dam began to impound the reservoir. On September 16, 1992, the first generator was operational nine months ahead of schedule. The second generator was operation in August 1993, the third in June 1994 and the fourth in June 1995. By the end of 1995, the entire project was complete. The dam is owned by Guangxi Electric Power Bureau while Guangxi Electricpower Investigation and Design Institute designed it and Guangxi Yantan Hydropower Project Construction Corporation constructed it. 43,176 people were relocated as a result of the project.

Design

The facility is composed of the dam, its power station and a ship lift. The dam is a 110 m (361 ft) high and 525 m (1,722 ft) long gravity dam. It withholds a reservoir with a normal capacity of 2612000000 cubic metre, maximum capacity of 3432000000 cubic metre and active of "useful" storage of 15720000000 cubic metre. The dam's spillway contains seven radial steel gates with a maximum discharge capacity of 33400 m3/s. The power station at its right toe is 200 m (656 ft) long, 60 m (197 ft) wide and 72 m (236 ft) high. The power station is supported by four intakes, penstock

Penstock

A penstock is a sluice or gate or intake structure that controls water flow, or an enclosed pipe that delivers water to hydraulic turbines and sewerage systems. It is a term that has been inherited from the technology of wooden watermills....

s and tailraces. It contains 4 x 302.5 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 for an installed capacity of 1,210 but operates at a firm capacity of 242 MW. The Yantan Ship Lift

Yantan Ship Lift

The Yantan ship lift is a large ship lift located on the Hongshui River, a tributary of the Pearl River in China.The ship lift's basin can carry vessels of up to 250 tons.The ship lift's basin is × × .It lifts vessels ....

is a vertical lift type designed for a maximum 250 ton barge vessel.