The Wudongde Dam (Chinese:乌东德大坝) Hydropower Station is located at the junction of Sichuan and Yunnan provinces in southwestern China. With a total installed capacity of 10,200 MW, it is one of the four power stations planned for China’s Jinsha River Hydropower Station. It is also the first hydropower station on the Jinsha River from upstream to downstream.
Wudongde Dam Hydropower Station has a total cost about 120 billion yuan (US $16.9 billion).
Wudongde Dam is a concrete double-curvature arch dam, with a crest elevation of 988 meters, a maximum dam height of 270 meters, a bottom thickness of 51 meters, and a thickness-to-height ratio of only 0.19.
It is the world’s thinnest 300-meter super high arch dam and the first in the world. The entire dam is a super high arch dam constructed with low-heat cement concrete.
On December 24, 2015, the Wudongde Hydropower Station was fully started. On March 16, 2017, the dam concrete of Wudongde Hydropower Station was opened and poured.
On June 29, 2020, the Wudongde Hydropower Station’s first units were officially put into operation for power generation.
History
- In the 1950s：the Wudongde Dam Hydropower Station began preliminary exploration work.
- 2002: the development right of the Wudongde Hydropower Station was clearly vested in the Three Gorges Group. Subsequently, the Three Gorges Group organized the pre-feasibility survey and design work.
- In 2010: the pre-feasibility study report of Wudongde Hydropower Station passed the review. The National Development and Reform Commission of China agreed to carry out power station construction’s preliminary work.
- On December 24, 2015: the construction of the Wudongde Dam Hydropower Station began.
- On March 16, 2017: the dam concrete of Wudongde Hydropower Station was opened and poured.
- On December 18, 2019: the installation of Unit 6 of the second unit of Wudongde Hydropower Station and the first unit on the left bank was completed.
- On February 16, 2020: 4 units of Wudongde Hydropower Station have been installed. On May 6, the Wudongde Hydropower Project’s second stage on the Jinsha River was impounded to 945 meters and passed the acceptance.
- On June 29, 2020: the first two 850,000-kilowatt units of Wudongde Hydropower Station were officially put into operation.
Hydroelectric dam
The Wudongde Hydropower Project is a large-scale project of Class I in China. The main building comprises water retaining structures, water discharge structures, and water diversion and power generation structures.
The bottom of the Wudongde dam is 51 meters thick, with a thickness-to-height ratio of only 0.19. It is currently the world’s thinnest 300-meter arch dam. The structure is complex, the engineering importance is high, and the concrete pouring quality is high.
The dam is a concrete double-curved arch dam with a crest elevation of 988m and a maximum dam height of 270m.
The dam’s peak annual concrete pouring strength can reach 951,000 cubic meters, and the highest monthly pouring strength is about 100,000 cubic meters. The concrete pouring strength is high.
The flood discharge adopts the dam body as the main flood discharge method, and the shore flood discharge tunnel is the supplementary method.
The powerhouses are arranged in the mountains on the left and right banks, both on the riverbed side. Each is installed with 6 Francis turbine generators with a single unit capacity of 850MW, with a total installed capacity of 10,200 MW.
Smart dam
The Wudongde Hydropower Station Dam is a new type of dam using smart technology. Many new technologies were used in the construction process, including dam intelligent construction systems throughout the life cycle.
The concrete used in dam construction is uniformly arranged and produced by an intelligent system, including concrete manufacturing, transportation, distribution, grouting pressure, flow control, data recording, and processing.
All data in the project are collected in real-time, processed in the background, planned uniformly, and controlled in advance.
The dam body is also equipped with measurement and control equipment, and the overall status of the dam is also monitored and controlled by the intelligent system in real-time.
The technology of this dam represents the highest level of intelligent engineering technology in China.
Wudongde Dam Data
- Country
- China
- Region
- East Asia
- Status
- In use
- Official name
- 乌东德大坝
- Other name(s)
- 乌东德水电站
- Location
- Between Sichuan and Yunnan, China
- Operator(s)
- China Three Gorges Corporation
- Purpose
- Power, flood control, navigation, Drought resistance
- Cost
- 120 billion yuan (US $16.9 billion)
- Began
- Dec-24, 2015
- Construction end
- Feb-16, 2020
- Opened
- Jun-29, 2020
- Total Duration
- 5
- Building height
- 886 ft (270 m )
- Total Length
- 1072 ft (326.9 m )
- Installed capacity
- 10200
- Turbines
- 12 × 850 MW Francis-type
- River
- Jinsha River
- Total capacity
- 7,600,000,000 m³
- Reservoi Surface elevation
- 3199 ft (975 m )
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