On March 18, all 24 unit gates at the Dadu River Zhentouba Second Stage Hydropower Station and the Shaping First Stage Hydropower Station were successfully closed. This milestone confirms that both hydropower stations have simultaneously achieved the necessary water-blocking condition, thereby laying a solid foundation for the commissioning of their first generating units. Located in JinKouhe District of Leshan City, Sichuan Province, these two stations boast a combined installed capacity of 660,000 kilowatts and are key projects under Sichuan Province’s 14th Five-year plan.
Construction Status of the Zhentouba Second Stage Hydropower Station
Each hydropower station is equipped with 12 gates, including both intake maintenance gates and tailwater accident gates, which are installed at the unit water channel inlets and outlets. These gates primarily serve to block water and create dry conditions that are essential for the installation and maintenance of the unit equipment. The pace of gate installation is directly linked to how quickly the stations can begin impounding water.
To ensure the project progresses according to schedule, the construction team has meticulously coordinated the overlapping tasks of civil construction and electromechanical installation, thereby ensuring that work on all fronts proceeds in an orderly fashion. The plan is for the first generating unit of each station to be commissioned in 2025, with the full complement of generating units coming online by 2026.
By the end of 2024, CHN Energy has installed over 20 million kilowatts of hydropower, with 8.24 million kilowatts of conventional hydropower under construction, ranking first nationwide.
