The world’s second largest hydroelectric station operates at 50% capacity

The world’s second largest hydroelectric station operates at 50% capacity

The Bach Hac Than hydroelectric station is located on the Jinsha River, the upstream tributary of the Yangtze River, helping to transmit electricity from the resource-rich west to the energy-poor eastern regions of China, marking a major step forward in the use of electricity. clean energy use of the country.

Since the first unit went into operation last June, the plant has produced more than 26.9 billion kilowatt hours of electricity, although it is still not fully operational. With unit 5 officially starting to generate electricity on May 30, after finishing a 72-hour test, the new project has reached 50% of its design capacity.

When completed, Bach Hac Than station will include 16 of the world’s largest generating sets, each with an installed capacity of 1 million kW. The operation of unit 5 marks the 8th unit in operation.

“This is the world’s first million kW generating set that is entirely made in China. The application of new materials and technologies – including hydraulic design, batteries and insulation technology – helps ensure ensure safe and stable operation of equipment in the long-term. On-site fault detection shows that all machines meet high operating standards,” said Engineer Chen Hao at China Three Gorges Corporation, project construction unit, emphasized.

When operating at full capacity, the Bach Hac Than hydropower plant will generate an average of more than 62.4 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, enough for the annual electricity consumption needs of about 75 million people.

Doan Duong (Follow Xinhua)