The Shuangjiangkou Hydropower Station in China’s Sichuan province is set to become the tallest dam in the world. The project officially entered its final stage on May 1, when water storage began at the site.
Standing 315 meters tall once fully completed, the dam surpasses the current world record holder, the Jinping-I Dam, by just 10 meters. It is designed to generate 2,000 megawatts of electricity annually, which is enough to power over three million homes.
The Context
For the last decade, China has been building infrastructure that reduces reliance on coal. Once operational, Chinese authorities claim the Shuangjiangkou Dam will offset nearly 3 million tons of coal consumption annually, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by over 7 million tons. Like many other parts of the country’s core infrastructure, the dam will be state-owned, and managed by the Power Construction Corporation of China, also known as PowerChina.
What To Know
The Shuangjiangkou project began construction in 2015 and is located along the upper reaches of the Dadu River, which flows from the Tibetan Plateau into the Sichuan Basin.
PowerChina claims it will be able to generate over 7 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, with construction so far costing ¥36 billion, the equivalent of almost $5 billion.
The construction location, which is over 2,400 meters above sea level, sees constant seismic activity, which has slowed construction at times. During the initial water storage phase, the water level had been raised to 2,344 meters, approximately 80 meters above the original river height. Full commissioning is expected by the end of 2025.
China Railway Construction Corporation
China has nearly half of all dams taller than 15 meters. The current tallest dam in the world, the Jinping-I Dam, is in the same region of China and stands at 305 meters tall.
The second tallest, the Nurek Dam, is in Tajikistan, but the third, fourth, fifth and sixth tallest are all also in China, two of which, the Lianghekou Dam and Baihetan Dam, were built within the last decade.
What People Are Saying
In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, the China Railway Construction Corporation said: “On May 1st, the world’s tallest dam, the Shuangjiangkou Hydropower Station in Sichuan Province, constructed by the China Railway Construction Corporation, completed its first water impoundment. Once fully operational, it will generate 7.7 billion kWh of electricity annually.”
What Happens Next
The Shuangjiangkou Dam’s first unit will start generating electricity by the end of 2025. Once fully operational, its 2,000 MW output will link into the rest of the Sichuan region’s hydropower grid.
