Hunan Nuowei Technology Co., Ltd

Basic Overview

• Location: At the border of Yulong County, Lijiang City, Yunnan Province, and Shangri-La County (or Shangri-La City), Diqing Prefecture, on the mainstream of the Jinsha River
• Project Positioning: The third cascade hydropower station in the "One Reservoir, Eight Cascades" development plan for the middle reaches of the Jinsha River; a national "West-to-East Power Transmission" power source and a Class I large (1) engineering project
• Engineering Purpose: Primarily for power generation, with additional benefits for flood control and tourism

• Sales quantity: 19 sets of grouting recorders, equipped with flow meters, pressure gauges, density meters, heave observation devices, data logging systems, and data processing software

Engineering Scale

• Installed Capacity: 2,400 MW (4 × 600 MW units)
• Annual Power Generation: Over 10.7 billion kWh (with upstream Longpan Reservoir coordination)
• Maximum Dam Height: 155 meters
• Total Reservoir Capacity: 805 million cubic meters
• Normal Pool Elevation: 1,618 meters
• Dead Water Level: 1,602 meters
• Drainage Basin Area at Dam Site: 220,000 km²
• Average Annual Flow: 1,430 m³/s
• Total Investment: Approximately 16.12 billion yuan (static investment: ~14.158 billion yuan)

Construction Timeline

• August 2007: Project preparation began
• May 2008: Diversion tunnel construction started
• January 2013: Approved by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC)
• November 2014: Reservoir impoundment began
• December 2014: First generating unit commissioned
• August 2016: Full completion (all 4 units operational)
• July 2023: Passed final acceptance inspection (Yunnan's first large hydropower project to achieve this)

Technical Features and Innovations

• Dam Type: Concrete Face Rockfill Dam (CFRD)
• Innovative Techniques:
  • One-stage construction of 155m high dam
  • Breakthroughs in utilizing large-scale glacial deposits near the dam
  • Optimized panel joint waterproofing structure
  • "High-pressure drilling + concentric drilling tools" combination process
  • GPS positioning technology for construction quality control
  • Innovative use of glacial deposits as dam filling material
• Engineering Quality: Seepage rate of only 10 L/s, rated as the best anti-seepage performance among similar global projects

Project Benefits

• Power Generation:
  • Cumulative power generation exceeded 74.27 billion kWh by March 31, 2023
  • Exceeded 77.7 billion kWh by end of 2024
  • Equivalent to saving 24 million tons of standard coal and reducing 63 million tons of CO₂ emissions
• Awards:
  • 2022: National Quality Project Award
  • 2023: Zhan Tianyou Award for Civil Engineering
  • July 2023: Passed final acceptance (Yunnan's first large hydropower project to achieve this)
• Socio-Economic Benefits:
  • Generated over 74.2 billion kWh, equivalent to 61.4 million tons of CO₂ reduction
  • Critical power support for Yunnan's "West-to-East Power Transmission" strategy
  • Promoted local economic development and employment

Construction Units

• Owner: Yunnan Jinsha River Midstream Hydropower Development Co., Ltd. (Shareholders: China Huadian Group 33%, China Huaneng Group 23%, China Datang Corporation 23%, Hanergy Holding Group 11%, Yunnan Investment Holding Group 10%)

Environmental and Social Impact

• Basin Impact: Operates with upstream Longpan Reservoir for weekly regulation, providing flow regulation benefits to downstream cascade stations
• Flood Control: Sacrificed power generation in 2018 to store 300 million m³ of floodwater during the Jinsha River landslide dam incident
• Ecological Benefits: Annual fish breeding and release programs, releasing 17 endangered/endemic species

The Lihua Hydropower Station is a critical component of the Jinsha River midstream cascade development. Its successful construction not only supports the "West-to-East Power Transmission" strategy but also sets benchmarks in technological innovation, environmental protection, and ecological sustainability within the industry.