Liyuan Dam and Liyuan Hydropower Station in Lijiang

The Liyuan Dam(梨园电站) is a concrete-face rock-fill dam on the Jinsha River on the border of Yulong County and Shangri-La County, Yunnan Province, China. The dam has an associated hydroelectric power station with a 2,400 MW power station containing 4 x 600 MW generators. Construction on the river diversion for the dam began in 2008.^[1][2] It began to impound its reservoir in November 2014 and on December 28, 2014 the first generator was commissioned. The second generator was commissioned in July 2015.

The 155 m (509 ft) dam withholds a reservoir of 727,000,000 m³ (589,388 acre⋅ft), of which 209,000,000 m³ (169,439 acre⋅ft) is active or “useful” storage. The normal reservoir level is 1,618 m (5,308 ft) above sea level with a minimum of 1,602 m (5,256 ft). The catchment area for the reservoir in the upstream basin is 220,000 km² (84,942 sq mi) while the reservoir surface area is 14.73 km² (6 sq mi).

The Liyuan Hydropower Station is located on the mainstream of the Jinsha River, at the border between Yulong County in Lijiang City and Shangri-La County in Diqing Prefecture, Yunnan Province. It is the third step in the “one reservoir, eight levels” hydropower development plan for the middle reaches of the Jinsha River.

Project Overview

This is a Category I (1) large-scale project, primarily focused on power generation, with additional benefits for flood control, tourism, and more. The power station has an installed capacity of 2,400 MW (4×600 MW), and when operating jointly with the upstream Longpan Reservoir, it has an annual power generation of 10.703 billion kWh, with a guaranteed output of 1,103 MW. The main components of the project include water retention, flood discharge and sediment flushing, the power station’s water diversion system, and the power station located at the dam’s downstream bank. Key structures include a concrete face rockfill dam, a spillway on the right bank, a flood discharge and sediment flushing tunnel on the left bank, and a water diversion and power generation system on the left bank. The total reservoir capacity is 805 million cubic meters, with a maximum dam height of 155 meters, a normal water level of 1,618 meters, and a dead water level of 1,602 meters. The storage capacity corresponding to the normal water level is 727 million cubic meters, with an effective storage capacity of 209 million cubic meters, providing weekly regulation capability. The dam site controls a catchment area of 220,000 square kilometers, with a multi-year average flow of 1,430 cubic meters per second. The total construction period of the project is 87 months, with a total investment of approximately 16.12 billion RMB. The first generating unit is scheduled to start producing power in December of the sixth year. The static investment for the project is approximately 14.158 billion RMB.

Location

The Liyuan Hydropower Station is situated at the river section on the border between Shangri-La County (left bank) in Diqing Prefecture and Yulong County (right bank) in Lijiang, Yunnan Province. Upstream, it connects with the Longpan Hydropower Station, and downstream with the Aha Hydropower Station. The dam site is 204 km by road from Lijiang City, 174 km via the Wenhua-Lijiang Road (166 km through the Yulong Snow Mountain Scenic Area to Lijiang), 354 km from Dali City, and 680 km from Kunming. The road distance to Panzhihua City is approximately 455 km (via Ninglang).

Project Benefits

The primary task of the project is power generation, but upon completion, it can also support tourism, reservoir navigation, and promote coordinated economic, social, and environmental development in the region.

Land Use

At a normal reservoir water level of 1,618 meters, the backwater length of the Liyuan Hydropower Station reservoir is approximately 58 km, affecting two counties (Yulong County and Shangri-La County) in two prefectures (Lijiang City and Diqing Prefecture) in Yunnan Province, involving five towns. Based on the preliminary feasibility study, the total area affected by reservoir submergence is 14.73 square kilometers, including 11.12 square kilometers of land and 3.61 square kilometers of water area. Four village settlements will be submerged, affecting a population of 34 people, all of whom are agricultural residents. The construction of the project involves land use in Fengke Township of Yulong County in Lijiang and Sanba Township of Shangri-La County in Diqing Prefecture, with a total land occupation of 5.89 square kilometers.

Construction Entity

Yunnan Jinsha River Middle Reaches Hydropower Development Co., Ltd. was approved by the State Council of China. It is a large-scale hydropower development company established by China Huadian Corporation, China Huaneng Group, China Datang Corporation, Hanergy Holding Group, and Yunnan Provincial Investment Holding Group, with shareholding ratios of 33%, 23%, 23%, 11%, and 10% respectively. The company’s registered capital is 300 million RMB. The company follows the principles of “basin-wide, stepwise, rolling, and comprehensive” development and is mainly responsible for planning and preliminary work on the middle reaches of the Jinsha River, investing in the construction and operation management of power stations, coordinating the operation of various power stations in the basin, producing and selling electric power, procuring hydropower materials and equipment, and providing technical consulting services for hydropower projects.

The “one reservoir, eight levels” development plan for the middle reaches of the Jinsha River includes Longpan, Liangjiaren, Liyuan, Aha, Jin’anqiao, Longkaikou, Ludila, and Guanyinyan, with a total installed capacity of 20.58 million kW, accounting for about 5% of the country’s economically exploitable hydropower installed capacity, with a guaranteed output of 9.43 million kW and an annual power generation of 88.3 billion kWh.

The establishment of Yunnan Jinsha River Middle Reaches Hydropower Development Co., Ltd. is a significant measure in implementing the central government’s strategy for the development of western China. It marks the unfolding of a grand blueprint to make the middle reaches of the Jinsha River a major energy base for the “West-East Electricity Transfer” project. The company is committed to the scientific management and pioneering development under the leadership of the Yunnan Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government, ensuring the orderly and healthy development of hydropower construction in the middle reaches of the Jinsha River, promoting the sustainable economic and social development of the Jinsha River Basin, and contributing to the implementation of the “West-East Electricity Transfer” strategy and the development of western China.

Project Progress

On July 10, 2015, the second generating unit of the Yunnan Jinsha River Liyuan Hydropower Station successfully completed a three-day trial operation and was connected to the grid for power generation. The second unit began filling the tailrace on March 25, 2015, entering the commissioning phase. Currently, the installation of the third and fourth units is progressing rapidly, with both units scheduled to be operational and enter commercial operation by the end of 2015.

On July 31, 2023, the Liyuan Hydropower Station project passed the final completion acceptance.

Awards

In November 2022, the Liyuan Hydropower Station was awarded the first batch of the 2022-2023 National Quality Engineering Awards.

In April 2023, it was included in the list of the 20th batch of the Zhan Tianyou Civil Engineering Award.