Southwest China's Yebatan Hydropower Station has started filling its reservoir, pushing the project into its final phase before its first power-generating units go live. This ambitious undertaking, part of the nation’s 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025), is the highest-altitude concrete double-curvature arch dam in the Chinese mainland.
Located at the junction of Baiyu County in Sichuan Province and Konjo County in the Xizang Autonomous Region, the station is a keystone of the upper Jinsha River clean-energy hub. With an installed capacity of 2,240 MW and a maximum dam height of 217 metres, it aims to deliver over 10.2 billion kWh of electricity each year.
During construction, engineers set a new record by extracting a 38.1-metre-long concrete core sample in May. Reservoir filling will proceed in two stages: the first will raise water levels to 2,855Â metres, enabling the initial generating units to switch on by the end of this year. The second stage, lasting until October next year, will lift the pool to the 2,889-metre normal level, unlocking full coordination across the cascade of Jinsha River stations.
Once fully operational in 2026, Yebatan will feed clean power into central China via the world’s highest-altitude, large-capacity hydropower-photovoltaic hybrid DC line—the Jinshang-Hubei ±800 kV UHV DC project. This transmission will play a vital role in China’s west-to-east power transfer, reducing carbon emissions by around 7.37 million tonnes annually—equivalent to cutting nearly 4 million tonnes of standard coal—while bolstering local economic growth.
By blending engineering feats and sustainability goals, the Yebatan Hydropower Station showcases how large-scale infrastructure can power communities, protect the planet, and inspire globally minded innovators to reimagine our energy future.
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SW China's Yebatan hydropower station begins filling reservoir
cgtn.com
