The Zangmu hydropower station in the Xizang Autonomous Region recently achieved a historic operational milestone. Regional engineers successfully completed the final acceptance meeting for this massive facility along the Yarlung Zangbo River. Chengdu Engineering Corporation Limited managed the complete planning, detailed demonstration, and full-stage survey design for the infrastructure development. Consequently, this project represents the first major facility on the main river stream to complete these formal review procedures.
Review officials noted that the primary infrastructure completely aligns with the approved original design scales and development plans. Furthermore, the massive reservoir successfully withstood eleven consecutive intense flood seasons since the initial water impoundment phase. The essential concrete structures and regional fish passage facilities currently operate normally during routine local technical inspections. The advanced electromechanical installations and complex metal structures fully satisfy modern industrial production safety standards.
This specialized station maintains an impressive installed generation capacity of 510 megawatts and features a 116-meter dam. This construction pushed regional power capabilities from a 100-megawatt class straight to a massive 500-megawatt class. Workers initially started building the major project in September 2010 to expand regional electrical grid capabilities. Engineers subsequently achieved full power generation capacity in October 2015, completing the work six months before schedule.
To date, the total facility output has exceeded 22.2 billion kilowatt-hours of clean electrical power. This immense generation successfully replaced 7.4 million tons of standard coal and reduced carbon emissions significantly. The facility completely eliminated the need for expensive oil-fired generation units within the regional electrical grid. Therefore, the clean energy output effectively resolved severe seasonal power shortages during cold winter and spring months.
Additionally, the comprehensive project generated remarkable ecological benefits for the surrounding river environment and local wildlife. The facility features an advanced fish passage that originally ranked first nationwide in altitude and total length. Monitors confirm that 571,000 native fish successfully migrated through the protective systems since the initial opening. Finally, the dedicated fish breeding facility released nearly two million young fish to preserve the local river ecosystem.
