Recently, the consortium formed by Sinohydro Bureau 12 Co., Ltd., Sinohydro Bureau 10 Co., Ltd., and Chengdu Engineering Corporation Limited, all under Power Construction Corporation of China (POWERCHINA), successfully completed the excavation of the middle and lower layers of the diversion tunnel for the Yagen Level-I Hydropower Station. The tunnel was holed through along its entire length, and the works transitioned smoothly to bottom-slab leveling concrete pouring. The achievement of this key milestone marks the project's formal entry into the concrete construction phase and lays a solid foundation for the goal of diverting water through the tunnel by September 30, 2025.

As a key project in the hydropower development of the middle reaches of the Yalong River, the diversion tunnel works of the Yagen Level-I Hydropower Station have faced multiple challenges since their launch. The consortium established a dedicated task-force mechanism and, by optimizing blasting parameters, innovating excavation and support techniques, and implementing 24-hour shift operations, pushed the project forward at full speed while ensuring safety and quality.

At present, the project has fully shifted into the concrete construction phase. For the follow-up works, the project department has formulated dedicated plans, focusing on strengthening communication and coordination with local governments and the provincial highway construction authority, establishing a dynamic reserve mechanism for explosives and detonators, and preparing flood-season emergency response plans in parallel, striving to build a "small but beautiful" model project and set an example of close collaboration within POWERCHINA. All construction of the diversion tunnel is expected to be completed by September 2025, creating favorable conditions for achieving the annual goal of river closure.

The Yagen Level-I Hydropower Station has a total installed capacity of 300 MW. Once completed, it will generate an average annual output of approximately 1.153 billion kWh over multiple years, saving 350,000 tonnes of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 940,000 tonnes each year. It will provide strong support for Sichuan Province's efforts to build a world-class high-quality clean energy base and a national demonstration province for clean energy.