The Wuqiangxi Hydropower Station completed its expansion project as of December 2023, marking a significant milestone in its 30-year history since its inauguration in January 1994.

Standing at a new starting point, we look back on the past decades, focus on the present, and look forward to the future. With a sense of pride and determination, we are ready to forge ahead.

        (A panoramic view of the Wuqiangxi Hydropower Station and its expansion project.)

Recalling the Past, the Magnificent Years of Brilliance

The Wuqiangxi Hydropower Station was inaugurated on January 1, 1994, with its first generator unit starting operation at the end of that year. By the end of 1996, all of its five generator units have been put into operation, with a total installed capacity of 1.2 GW  and an annual power generation capacity of 5.37 TWh. Upon its operation, it has been supplying clean energy to the entire Province, bringing an end to power shortage in Hunan.

 (The original look of the site before the Wuqiangxi Dam was constructed.)

The Wuqiangxi Hydropower Station has also played a remarkable role in navigation and flood controlling. Over the past decades, more than 100,000 ships with over 17 million tons of goods passed through its three-tier ship locks safely. Making the most of its flood storage capacity, it has effectively impeded flooding and reduced flood peaks during extreme floods. It has safeguarded one million of residents, over 67,000 hectares of farmland, and properties of ten billion CNY along the lower reaches, making prominent contributions to flood controlling and disaster relief in the Dongting Lake area and the Yangtze River basin.

 (Flood water is discharged from the dam of the Wuqiangxi Hydropower Station.)

Over the past three decades, the Wuqiangxi Hydropower Station has been continuously advancing reform and innovation, promoting high-quality development via information technologies. In 2011, it rolled out a “few-men-on-duty remote control management” mode, which needed only 66 staff on duty (0.6 person per 10 MW). In 2012, it integrated the five-star safety management with the Safety-Health-Environment (SHE) management system of the parent company SPIC Group to make improvements, setting an example for all the subsidiaries of the group. In 2019, it reformed the overhaul management pattern to keep the core technologies and capabilities firmly in its own hands. It has been shortlisted for the honors of the "National First-class Hydropower Station", "Advanced Group of Central Enterprise", and "Advanced Group in Electric Power Standardization".

Forging Ahead to Write a Glorious Chapter

With the fast enlarging of the load peak and off-peak difference, power system needs peak load regulation capacity urgently in Hunan Province. Wuqiangxi Hydropower Station launched an expansion project to address the issue, with an installed capacity of 500 MW by two 250 MW generator units. The project has been highlighted in the 13th and 14th Five-year Plans of Hunan Province, representing the finale of Wuling Power’s hydropower development along the Yuanshui River. The construction of the project’s main structures started in December 2019.

The project features digital management and control based on the digital means including high-resolution cameras, intelligent access control, intelligent safety helmets, tower crane monitoring devices, automatic convergence monitoring of underground caverns, and concrete temperature control. A 4M1E (Man, Machine, Material, Method, and Environment) digital system for intelligent monitoring and control of work sites and environment has been formed, which further enhanced meticulous management of the project. The project has been awarded with more than ten ministerial and provincial-level honors for its hydropower digitalization and management innovation. Without any safety, quality, or environment incidents, the project has advanced safely and steadily, showcasing high construction quality, outstanding eco-environmental conservation, and intelligent construction. The water conveyance system filling test and a 72-hour commissioning of the generator units were successful at the first attempt. The goal of the operation of two generator units has been achieved ahead of schedule.

 (The No.7 generator unit of the Wuqiangxi Hydropower Station expansion project completes a 72-hour commissioning.)

Upon expansion, the annual power generation capacity of the Wuqiangxi Hydropower Station increased by 558.3 GWh; the water utilization ratio raised from 80 percent to 90 percent; and, the dispatchable capacity has been elevated to 1.75 GW by seven 250 MW generator units. These improvements would further strengthen flood controlling and drought resistance along the Yuanshui River, greatly optimize Hunan’s power supply structure, and boost the high-quality development of Hunan’s economy and society in an all-round manner.  

Aiming Higher to Embark on a Limitless Ascent Towards a Brighter Future

The Wuqiangxi Hydropower Station has seized the opportunities brought about by new energy development to promote a “hydropower +” mode. It has been striving to build a comprehensive intelligent zero-carbon power plant project with integrated expansion ability, covering a variety of sectors including comprehensive energy management system, distributed photovoltaic power, breeze turbines, agriculture-solar projects, agricultural complex, charging piles, carport-top photovoltaic, water source heat pumps, energy footpaths, and smart street lamps. In 2023, a distributed photovoltaic power project with a capacity of 15.9MW has completed registration, and a group of high-quality new energy projects were in pipeline.

 (The comprehensive intelligent zero-carbon power plant of the Wuqiangxi Hydropower Station)

Beginning with the Wuqiangxi Hydropower Station, Wuling Power has been dedicated to the cascade and continuous hydropower development along the Yuanshui River. Actively pursuing a green dream, the Wuqiangxi staff members have been shouldering responsibilities and fulfilling their missions over the past 30 years. They have made concerted efforts to advance from the original Wuqiangxi Hydropower Project to today’s expansion project, and furthermore, to the “hydropower +” mode. They have created a number of great feats in Hunan’s history of hydropower development with their ingenuity and hard work, providing green energy for numerous households.