(TibetanReview.net, Dec12’23) – China said Dec 11 that it had completed building nearly half the planned height of its largest capacity dam on the Jinsha (Tibetan: Drichu) River which is located in Tibet at the junction of Baiyu (Palyul) County in Sichuan Province and Konjo (Gojo) County in Tibet Autonomous Region. China has built several of the world’s largest hydroelectric power stations on this river.
The construction of the dam of the Yebatan hydropower station, the largest hydropower project in the upper reaches of the Jinsha River, exceeded 100 meters on Sunday (Dec 10), achieving a major milestone in the project, reported China’s official globaltimes.cn Dec 11.
It is the 7th level of the 13 cascade hydropower stations in the upper reaches of the Jinsha River. The total installed capacity of the power station is designed to reach 2,240 megawatts after completion, with a maximum dam height of 217 meters, the report said.
The Yebatan hydropower station is a major project supported by the central government for the economic and social development of the Xizang region, the report said, citing PowerChina Chengdu Engineering Corporation Limited (CECL).
The main construction of the project kicked off in Dec 2016. The first unit of the project is expected to have the conditions to generate electricity by the end of 2025 and the whole project is expected to be completed in 2026, according to the CECL.
China is investing over 33 billion yuan ($4.6 billion) on this project over a period of 105 months, with its annual power generation capacity being 10.2 billion kilowatt-hours.
The project is of great significance to consolidate the achievements of poverty alleviation in the Xizang, promote the rural revitalization strategy in the region, optimize China’s energy structure adjustment and help accelerate the achievement of the national “dual carbon” goals, the report said.