Numerous technical achievements and engineering characteristicsreach

world "mosts"

China's "mosts"

domestic "firsts"

It has won numerous domestic and international awards

Site of the commencement ceremony for the main project

    The Xiaolangdi Water Conservancy Project consists of the dam, the flood discharge and sediment flushing system, and the water diversion and power generation system. With its massive construction scale, complex geological conditions, special water and sediment conditions, and strict operating conditions, it has been called by Chinese and foreign water conservancy experts one of the most challenging projects in the history of dam engineering in the world. Construction began in September 1991, the main project was completed in December 2001, and it passed completion acceptance in April 2009. The construction process adopted numerous advanced technologies, overcame numerous technical difficulties, and produced many titles such as world "mosts", China's "mosts", and domestic "firsts", and won numerous domestic and international awards.

Completion acceptance meeting of the Xiaolangdi Project

    World "mosts":The projectcarved 108 underground caverns within a 1-square-kilometer mountain mass on the left bank, creating the world's densest large-diameter underground cavern group; the world's largest and most complex intake tower group; the world's largest orifice plate energy dissipation tunnel; and the world's largest centrally arranged stilling basin.

Concrete pouring construction of the outlet stilling basin

    China's "mosts":The project built the then-highest earth-rock dam with the largest fill volume in China and the then-deepest high-strength concrete cutoff wall in China.

Dam construction and filling

    Domestic "firsts":Part of the construction funds for the Xiaolangdi Water Conservancy Project came from World Bank loans, and the main project construction adopted international bidding. It persisted in combining the introduction of advanced technology and management methods with the fine tradition of patriotism. It is China's first large-scale water conservancy project to fully align with international practices, created a management model for large-scale water conservancy and hydropower project construction that aligns with international practices while having Chinese characteristics, and achieved construction results of excellent quality, ahead-of-schedule completion, and cost savings.

World Bank evaluation meeting for the Yellow River Xiaolangdi Project

    Awards received:The Xiaolangdi Water Conservancy Project has successively won the National Top 100 Environmental Protection Projects, the Top 100 Classic and Excellent Projects for the 60th Anniversary of the Founding of New China, the International Milestone Rockfill Dam Project, the China Water Engineering Quality (Dayu) Award, the China Civil Engineering Zhan Tianyou Award, the Centennial Top 100 Outstanding Civil Engineering Projects, the China Construction Engineering Luban Prize (National Quality Project), the National Gold Award for Excellent Engineering Survey and Design, and the Second Prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award, among others.

The Xiaolangdi Project won the "Top 100 Classic and Excellent Projects" award for the 60th Anniversary of the Founding of New China

The Xiaolangdi Project won the China Construction Engineering Luban Prize

It plays a huge role in flood control (ice-flood control),sedimentation reduction, water supply and irrigation, ecological protection, and power generation

    The completion and operation of the Xiaolangdi Water Conservancy Project have played a huge role in flood control (ice-flood control), sedimentation reduction, water supply and irrigation, ecological protection, and power generation, and have irreplaceable strategic significance for Yellow River governance, promoting the improvement of the Yellow River's ecological environment, and sustainable economic and social development.

    Flood control (ice-flood control):The operation of the Xiaolangdi Water Conservancy Project raised the flood control standard of the lower Yellow River from a 60-year return period to nearly a 1,000-year return period, turning the governance and protection of the lower Yellow River from passive to active; the threat of ice floods in the lower Yellow River, which had been declared uncontrollable for thousands of years, has been basically eliminated. In particular, in 2021, it successfully defended against the largest autumn flood in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River since the founding of New China, impounding and regulating 3.34 billion cubic meters of floodwater, with the reservoir water level reaching a historic high of 273.5 meters and a peak reduction rate of 57%, avoiding the evacuation of 1.4 million people and the inundation of 3.99 million mu of farmland in the floodplain areas of the lower Yellow River in Henan and Shandong.

The gauge at the Xiaolangdi Water Conservancy Project during high water level operation against the 2021 autumn flood

    Sedimentation reduction:After the operation of the Xiaolangdi Water Conservancy Project, the riverbed of the lower Yellow River changed from silting and rising before operation to scouring and downcutting. Through reservoir sediment retention and water-sediment regulation, the main channel of the lower Yellow River has on average downcut by 3.1 meters, and the maximum flood conveyance capacity has increased from less than 1,800 cubic meters per second to about 5,000 cubic meters per second.

The Xiaolangdi Water Conservancy Project is discharging sediment and releasing floodwater

    Water supply and irrigation:Through reservoir regulation and replenishment, it continuously provides a stable water source for the Yellow River-to-Tianjin, Yellow River-to-Qingdao, and Yellow River-to-Baiyangdian water diversion projects as well as for industrial and agricultural production, effectively alleviating the tight supply of water for production and living in the downstream areas along the Yellow River and improving the irrigation guarantee rate of about 44 million mu of Yellow River irrigation districts downstream. By the end of 2024, a cumulative 202.164 billion cubic meters of water had been replenished downstream. In particular, in 2024 it completed the political task of drought relief and supply guarantee with high quality, releasing more than 4.8 billion cubic meters of water, effectively alleviating the severe drought in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River.

The Xiaolangdi Water Conservancy Project carried out emergency drought relief regulation in 2024

    Ecological protection:By using the Xiaolangdi Water Conservancy Project to balance and optimize the allocation of water resources, the water volume of the downstream river channel during the non-flood season has been significantly increased, reversing the adverse situation of continuous flow cutoff in the lower Yellow River and achieving 25 consecutive years without flow cutoff, significantly improving the ecological environment of the lower Yellow River area and the surroundings of the reservoir area. It has enhanced the function of the downstream river ecosystem, curbed the trend of decline in the Yellow River's life health indicators, improved the water environment quality of the downstream river channel, promoted ecological restoration in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River and the estuary area, and made outstanding contributions to supporting regional economic and social development, maintaining the healthy life of the Yellow River, and advancing ecological civilization construction.

The floodplain area downstream of the Xiaolangdi Water Conservancy Project has a good ecological effect, with flocks of birds playing

    Power generation:The Xiaolangdi Hydropower Station undertakes important peak-shaving, frequency-regulation, and emergency reserve functions in the Henan provincial power grid, with an average annual power generation of 5.8 billion kWh, giving full play to the advantages of clean and renewable energy and promoting energy conservation, emission reduction, and economic and social development. Since commissioning, it has delivered approximately 155.5 billion kWh of electricity to the grid.

Xiaolangdi switch station

Developing new quality productive forces

Adhering to application first

Strengthening the integration of digital and physical

Intelligently empowering hub operation and management

On June 20, 2023, the first on-site meeting on digital twin water conservancy construction was held at the Xiaolangdi Water Conservancy Project.

    Today's Xiaolangdi Water Conservancy Project is accelerating digital upgrading and iterating intelligent equipment. Taking the development of new quality productive forces and the promotion of high-quality development as an important path, it adheres to application first, strengthens the integration of digital and physical, intelligently empowers hub operation and management, and strives to write a new chapter in the high-quality development of large-scale water conservancy hubs in the new era.

    Accelerating the cultivation and development of new quality productive forces in water conservancy:It has introduced monitoring and sensing technologies and equipment such as rain-measuring radar, drones, and intelligent monitoring. Three water conservancy rain-measuring radars took the lead in being put into networked trial operation, and two automatic drone inspection systems have been built and put into operation.

Water conservancy rain-measuring radar in the reservoir area of the Xiaolangdi Water Conservancy Project

    Deeply implementing the action to consolidate the foundation and enhance capabilities of integrated space-air-ground-water engineering monitoring and sensing:It has carried out automation upgrades of dam safety monitoring, deeply applied multi-beam unmanned vessels to measure underwater topography, and carried out exploratory applications of synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) dam deformation monitoring and photoelectric online sediment concentration monitoring.

Multi-beam unmanned vessel measuring underwater topography

    Continuously promoting the iterative optimization and deep application of the digital twin Xiaolangdi:It actively uses digital twin technology and construction results to empower reservoir and dam operation and management.It has built and put into operation the modern reservoir operation and management matrix platform for the Xiaolangdi and Xixiayuan reservoirs, gathering the core data of 13 existing related business systems and effectively integrating typical businesses such as engineering safety, reservoir regulation, and production management.

Digital twin Xiaolangdi system