The second largest hydroelectric dam Baihetan Dam was officially initiated this week. This enormous dam, measuring at almost 300m in height, is expected for a comprehensive operation in July 2022, and will generate an estimated 62.4 billion kWh of power each year.
The largest hydroelectric power plant in the world, the Three Gorges Dam, is located in China, and the Baihetan Dam on the Jinsha River which was initiated this week will become the second largest in the world. The first two power generators are powered at 1 million kW, with full power operation on July 2nd.
The Baihetan Dam measures at 289m in height, costs approximately US$34 billion, and is situated at the border of Yunnan and Sichuan in the southwest of China. China Three Gorges Corporation Limited, responsible for the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, took 4 years to complete the Baihetan Dam, which contains a total of 16 generators that are expected to fully commence in July 2022 at a total power generation of 62.4 billion kWh each year.
▲The generators adopted by the Baihetan Dam are capable of a power of 1 million kW, and contain the highest single unit capacity in the world.
This hydroelectric power plant serves as an important foundation to the “West-East Electricity Transmission” of China. The country had started constructing an EHV cable last year that goes from Baihetan all the way to Jiangsu in East China which is expected to initiate in 2022. The other EHV cable from Baihetan to Zhejiang is currently under review.
The Baihetan Dam is also one of the targets of the 5-year plan for the People’s Government of Sichuan Province, which plans to establish 10 dams prior to 2025, with 7 currently under construction.
Hydroelectricity provided by gigantic dams is relatively effective for carbon reduction. China hopes to lower the degree of power supply from domestic coal-fired power plants through a substantial level of hydroelectricity, though such implementation has derived concerns from environmental groups, since these colossal dams would result in a sizeable impact on the upstream and downstream ecological environments.
Despite investing tremendous resources into hydroelectric power plants, China has yet to decelerate the construction pace of coal-fired power plants, and remains at the higher end of carbon emission, even with both the largest and second largest hydroelectric power plants in its pocket. Whether these dams would help China to reduce carbon for the next 5 years remains to be seen.
In addition, Sichuan is an essential industrial base for lithium batteries in China, and a provision of a higher ratio of hydroelectric power generation will help lithium battery factories to lower carbon emission, as well as generate advantages when penetrating into the EV industry chain.
(Photo source: China Three Gorges Corporation Limited)