China completes construction of its second biggest hydropower plant

• 1 year, 6 months ago (2022-12-21)
• David Flin

Asia 859 Hydropower 116

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The last generating unit on the Baihetan hydropower plant on the upstream branch of the Yangtze River has been connected to the grid.

The Baihetan plant has sixteen 1GW turbines, making it the second largest hydropower plant in both China and the world, behind only the Three Gorges Project, also on the Yangtze River. The plant will generate over 62 TWh annually.

Construction began in 2017, with a total investment of $24.38 billion. It will deliver electricity to cities in the east. The Three Gorges Corporation , the project developer, described the 289m dam and its associated infrastructure as one of the country’s biggest and most challenging engineering projects.