Xiluodu Dam

Xiluodu Dam
Location of Xiluodu Dam in China
Official name	溪洛渡大坝
Location	Xiluodu Town, Yongshan County, Yunnan/Leibo County Sichuan, China
Coordinates
Construction began	December 2005
Opening date	July 2013
Construction cost	US$6.2 billion
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Double-curvature arch, concrete
Impounds	Jinsha River
Height	285.5 m (937 ft)
Length	700 m (2,300 ft)
Elevation at crest	610 m (2,000 ft)
Spillway type	7 × crest floodgates, 7 × orifices, 4 × tunnels
Spillway capacity	32,278 m3/s (1,139,900 cu ft/s)
Reservoir
Creates	Xiluodu Reservoir
Total capacity	12,670,000,000 cubic metres (10,270,000 acre·ft)
Active capacity	6,460,000,000 cubic metres (5,240,000 acre·ft)
Catchment area	454,400 km2 (175,400 sq mi)
Normal elevation	600 m (2,000 ft)
Power station
Name	Xiluodu Hydropower Station
Operator(s)	China Yangtze Power
Commission date	2013–2014
Turbines	18 × 770 MW Francis-type
Installed capacity	13,860 MW
Annual generation	55.2 TWh (2015)

The Xiluodu Dam (simplified Chinese: 溪洛渡大坝; traditional Chinese: 溪洛渡大壩; pinyin: Xīluòdù Dàbà) is an arch dam on the Jinsha River, i.e. the upper course of the Yangtze in China. It is located near the town of Xiluodu in Yongshan County of Yunnan Province but the dam straddles into Leibo County of Sichuan Province on the opposite side of the river. The primary purpose of the dam is hydroelectric power generation and its power station has an installed capacity of 13,860 MW. Additionally, the dam provides for flood control, silt control and its regulated water releases are intended to improve navigation downstream. Construction on the dam and power station began in 2005 and the first generator was commissioned in 2013, the last in 2014. It is operated by China Yangtze Power and is currently the second-largest power station in China along with the fourth tallest dam in the world.

Background

Preliminary construction (roads, bridges, tunnels) for the dam began in 2003 and work on main structures officially commenced on 26 December 2005. In November 2007, the Jinsha was successfully diverted around the construction site, allowing the dam to be built. Concrete pouring began in 2008. The reservoir was impounded in May 2013 and the first of 18×770 MW Francis turbine-generators was commissioned on 15 July 2013. The fourteenth generator was commissioned in April 2014. The eighteenth and final generator was commissioned on 30 June 2014.

Design

The Xiluodu is a 285.5 m (937 ft) tall and 700 m (2,300 ft) long double-curvature arch dam. It is the third tallest arch dam in the world and a key component of the Jinsha River Project. It withholds a reservoir of 12,670,000,000 cubic metres (10,270,000 acre·ft) of which 6,460,000,000 cubic metres (5,240,000 acre·ft) is considered active storage for power generation. The dam contains several spillways to include seven surface outlets, eight mid-level orifices and four spillway tunnels. All spillways afford a maximum discharge of 32,278 m³/s (1,139,900 cu ft/s). The dam's power station is split into two underground power stations, one located behind the right abutment, the second behind the left abutment. Each power station contains nine 770 MW Francis turbine-generators for a total installed capacity of 13,860 MW.

See also

• List of power stations in China
• List of tallest dams in the world
• List of tallest dams in China
• List of dams and reservoirs in China
• List of largest power stations in the world

External links

• Xiluodu dam under construction in 2013