On December 28, the first units of the Yingliangbao Hydropower Station on the Dadu River, China's diversion-type hydropower station with the largest tunnel diameter, were officially commissioned for power generation, further accelerating the construction of the Dadu River clean energy base and adding green momentum to China's energy and power supply security.

The Yingliangbao Hydropower Station was planned, demonstrated, surveyed and designed at all stages by PowerChina Chengdu Engineering Corporation, with the participation of Sinohydro Bureaus 5, 7, 10 and 14 in construction. The station is a key project in the 13th Five-Year Plan for national power development and the 14th cascade hydropower station in the development plan for the main stream of the Dadu River, with a total installed capacity of 1,116 MW. Taking into account factors such as environmental protection, resource utilization, geological and topographical conditions and seismic conditions, the station adopts a long-tunnel water diversion development approach. By building two water diversion tunnels each 14.4 km long, the water level difference is raised from 26 m to 116 m, and power is generated by virtue of the large water level difference. The maximum excavated tunnel diameter reaches 16.7 m, setting a new record for the largest tunnel excavation diameter of a diversion-type hydropower station in China.

In addition, the Yingliangbao Hydropower Station has set multiple records. The station's installed capacity consists of four 270 MW Francis units in the main powerhouse and one 36 MW Kaplan tubular turbine unit in the ecological powerhouse, making it the joint-outlet station with two powerhouses and the largest installed capacity in China; the station's barrage is 41 m high, the highest concrete barrage on a deep overburden foundation in China; the overburden depth is 130 m, the deepest face dam foundation in a high seismic intensity area in China; the flood discharge flow is 89 m³/s, the largest single-width flood discharge flow of a sluice on a deep overburden foundation in China; the intake width is 123 m, the widest centrally arranged intake in China; and the surge chamber height is 118.2 m, the highest underground gallery-type impedance surge chamber in China.

Chengdu Engineering Corporation began research on the development approach for the Yingliangbao Hydropower Station in 2000. Over more than 20 years, it carried out extensive planning, surveying, testing and scientific research work. The project was approved for construction in 2016, and Chengdu Engineering Corporation conducted comprehensive deepening and optimization design research, bringing various economic indicators to the forefront of hydropower stations awaiting construction at that time. During construction, world-class challenges were overcome, including dam construction on complex foundations with deep overburden in high seismic intensity areas, excavation and support of long large water diversion tunnels in strongly altered surrounding rock, and treatment of geological disasters such as large-scale tunnel collapses and mud and water inrushes caused by earthquakes during construction, greatly improving the level of dam construction on deep overburden and the design and geological disaster treatment of long large water diversion tunnels. The station design applies advanced technologies such as domestically produced monitoring systems, intelligent station service power management systems and intelligent lighting systems, comprehensively improving the level of independent controllability, digital intelligence and energy conservation and consumption reduction.

After the Yingliangbao Hydropower Station is fully completed and put into operation, it will provide more than 5.18 billion kWh of clean energy annually, enough to meet the electricity demand of 2.15 million households for one year. The operation of the station will save about 2 million tons of standard coal and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 4.8 million tons, making an important contribution to China's green and low-carbon development. At the same time, it will accelerate the economic and social development of the Tibetan areas in Garze Prefecture and drive the further upgrading of related industries, with important ecological, social and economic benefits.