Construction begins on mega hydropower plant
27/12/2005 8:26
China yesterday began construction of its second-largest hydroelectric
power project, in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.
Xiluodu Hydropower
Station, the first of four hydropower stations on the Jinsha River, is a major
west-to-east electricity transmission project and an important move to develop
China's resource-rich but poor western region.
Located in Xiluodu Gorge
between Yongshan County of Yunnan Province and Leibo County of Sichuan Province,
the project is designed to generate 12.6 million kilowatts of electricity -
second only to the Three Gorges Project on the Yangtze River.
Electricity
generated at Xiluodu station will promote industrial and economic growth in
eastern and central China regions.
The station is also expected to stem the
turbulent Jinsha River in November 2007, and the first generating unit will be
installed in June 2012.
The entire project will be completed in 2015 and will
cost 50.34 billion yuan (US$6.2 billion).
Besides power generation and water
storage, the project is also designed to prevent flooding on the Jinsha River,
block sand and silt, protect the local environment and facilitate water traffic
in the lower reaches of the river.
"The project is launched after three years
of preparations in terms of technical planning, environmental protection, water
protection, and the relocation of over 7,000 residents in the construction
area," said Li Yong'an, general manager of China Three Gorges Project
Corporation, the prime contractor of the construction project.
Li said his
company has launched a special preservation project to protect rare fish in the
upper reaches of the Yangtze and throughout the construction process, the firm
will report possible impact on the river's ecosystem.
Xinhua News
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