Three Gorges Hydropower Plant sets annual power generation world record

The Three Gorges Hydropower Plant, the world’s largest hydroelectric plant in terms of installed capacity, has set a new world record for annual power output, its operator China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG) announced.

Power generation this year at the plant reached the 103.1 billion kWh mark at 8:20 a.m. on November 15, smashing the previous world record of 103.098 billion kWh set by South America's Itaipu Dam in 2016.

The clean energy is equivalent to saving 31.71 million tons of standard coal and reducing emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides  by 86.71 million, 20,600 tons and 19,600 tons respectively, helping build a clean, safe and efficient energy system and promoting China’s transition to a low-carbon economy.

Earlier this year, when China’s economic and social development was impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Three Gorges hydropower plant continued to increase its power output and peak load regulating capacity, transmitting record clean energy to provinces and cities such as Hubei, Zhejiang and Shanghai that has positively contributed to the prevention and control of the pandemic.

A total of five floods occurred along the Yangtze River basin during this year’s flood season, with the largest peak flow rate reaching 75,000 cubic meters per second. CTG fully implemented risk management and control measures for the Three Gorges Project during the flood season with the strong support and help of relevant institutions and units. Thanks to these efforts, CTF was able to enhance the accuracy of forecasting water and rainfall conditions in the river basin and improve its capability to coordinate control of the cascade reservoirs. As a result, CTG was able to mitigate the floods and maintain the safe and stable operating condition of the Three Gorges Project.

The Three Gorges hydropower plant has a total installed capacity of 22.5 GW, with 32 units of 750-MW turbo-generators and two 50-MW turbo-generators.

The plant, with a designed annual power output of 88.2 billion kWh, is a major power source for the West-to-East Power Transmission Initiative and North-South Power Exchange Initiative.