| Construction


continuously track surrounding rock conditions and allow excavation and support activities to proceed simultaneously. Construction activity continued through the Lunar New Year period to take advantage of favourable dry-season conditions. During the Spring Festival, more than 500 workers remained on site operating around the clock. The project also utilised a domestically developed unmanned intelligent rock drilling rig capable of automated positioning and coordinated multi-arm drilling. Developers reported that the technology increased excavation efficiency by more than 30% and enabled the cavern excavation to be completed three months ahead of schedule. Once operational, the pumped storage station is


expected to generate approximately 1.4TWh of electricity annually while providing peak-shaving and grid- balancing services for around 7GW of wind and solar capacity in western Sichuan.


Yagen I dam construction begins On the same day that the powerhouse excavation


milestone was reached, construction teams completed the first concrete pour for the dam of the Yagen I hydropower station, a 300MW facility that forms part of the “One Reservoir, Seven Levels” cascade development on the middle reaches of the Yalong River. The project features what developers describe as China’s widest single-sluice dam section, with an individual block measuring 47m in length. The spillway bottom slab has been integrated into a highly rigid structural design intended to improve seismic performance in the region’s complex geological environment. High-altitude winter conditions have created additional challenges during construction. Large temperature variations and complex aggregate characteristics have increased the risk of thermal cracking in the concrete, particularly in the ultra-wide dam sections. To address these issues, the construction team implemented a full-process temperature control system covering aggregate heating, controlled mixing temperatures, insulated transport and monitored curing. Steam curing and enclosed temperature- and humidity-controlled environments were also adopted to reduce cracking risks. More than 600 workers remained on site during the holiday period to ensure the first concrete pour could proceed on schedule. Once completed, Yagen I is expected to generate


about 1.15TWh of electricity annually. Developers estimate the plant will save approximately 350,000 tonnes of standard coal each year and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by around 940,000 tonnes. In addition to power generation, the reservoir will function as the lower basin for the Lianghekou pumped storage station. The Lianghekou project forms part of the Yalong River Basin integrated hydropower, wind and solar development, which has been described as China’s first national-level integrated water-wind-solar power base. Within this broader initiative, the Lianghekou “Water, Wind, Solar, Storage, Hydrogen and Computing” Clean Energy Demonstration Zone is planned to have an installed capacity exceeding 50GW, accounting for about 60% of the basin’s total planned capacity. Across the entire Yalong River integrated base, total capacity is expected to reach 78GW. Around 23GW has already been commissioned, while approximately 12GW remains under construction. Three major regulating reservoirs – Lianghekou, Jinping and Ertan – together provide a combined storage capacity of around 14.8 billion m3


, enabling coordinated management of water


resources and renewable energy production. According to the Yalong River Company of the State Development & Investment Corporation (SDIC), the basin aims to reach more than 40GW of operational capacity by 2030 and the full 78GW by 2035.


At that stage, annual electricity generation is projected


to reach roughly 200TWh, supplying power equivalent to the annual consumption of approximately 100 million households. Developers say the Lianghekou pumped


Below: Yagen First-Stage Hydropower Station Foundation Pit


Above: Panoramic view of the Lianghekou Hydropower Station hub project


www.waterpowermagazine.com | April 2026 | 31


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