"On the rolling hills of Kangding, a wisp of cloud drifts by, shining gently down upon the town of Kangding..." The song "Kangding Love Song" has introduced people to Kangding, this famous historical and cultural city.

Recently, a Sunward SWDM420 rotary drilling rig is carrying out construction work on Zheduo Mountain at an altitude of over 5,000 meters within Kangding's territory, supporting the Jinsha River Upper Reaches–Hubei ultra-high-voltage direct current (UHVDC) transmission project and "singing" a different song of Kangding.

It is reported that the Jinsha River Upper Reaches–Hubei ±800 kV UHVDC transmission project is the 7th UHVDC project originating in Sichuan and is currently the world's highest-altitude UHVDC transmission project. It is responsible for transmitting electricity from the hydropower unit cluster on the upper reaches of the Jinsha River to Central China, and is expected to deliver 40 billion kWh of electricity to Central China each year, making it one of the main arteries of China's "West-to-East Power Transmission" initiative. 

This project is a typical plateau project. The on-site construction environment is harsh, with low oxygen, low air pressure, severe cold, and high altitude. At the same time, the geological conditions are extremely complex, containing hard rock components such as granite, and the ecological environment is extremely fragile, posing major challenges to operations—in particular, it easily causes difficulties in bit penetration, placing higher demands on equipment performance. Facing complex geological construction, Qinghai Power Transmission and Transformation Company was very cautious in selecting equipment. Through geological analysis of the site, comparative equipment analysis, and simulated drills, it ultimately chose the Sunward SWDM420 rotary drilling rig.

The Sunward SWDM420 rotary drilling rig is hailed by customers as a "rock-entry expert." The entire machine has a solid structure and is stable and reliable, adopting a large-diameter slewing bearing, dual brakes, a high-strength and high-rigidity platform, a reinforced dual large-width boom luffing mechanism, and a large-section high-rigidity mast. It is equipped with a high-power engine, large-displacement main pump, and three-motor power head, with a reasonably matched power system, offering advantages such as strong power, high torque, and fast speed, as well as convenient relocation and transportation and easier maintenance.

"Among the two highest-altitude tower foundations, the hardest 8 piles are in granite geology, with rock uniaxial compressive strength as high as 130 MPa, a pile length of 16 meters, and a pile diameter of 2.2 meters. Our SWDM420 worked continuously for more than 40 days and successfully completed the task, and its excellent performance won full recognition from the customer." According to feedback from on-site construction personnel, the Sunward SWDM420 rotary drilling rig progressed smoothly in this project and was favored by the customer.

Sunward's rotary drilling rigs have demonstrated the hard-core strength of piling machinery on the plateau, supporting China's "West-to-East Power Transmission" project. In the future, Sunward will continue to leverage its advantage of "pioneering innovation" to provide customers with more professional turnkey solutions, deliver an even better construction experience, and make new contributions to the country's infrastructure construction and economic development!