World's largest underground powerhouse capped in China

The No 6 unit of the underground powerhouse on the left bank of the Baihetan Hydropower Station was capped on Oct 5, a job undertaken by Sinohydro Bureau 7 Co, a subsidiary of POWERCHINA.

This accomplishment is an essential step for the world's most massive underground powerhouse, which is working towards the goal of putting its first batch of units into operation in July 2021.

The celebration ceremony for the capping of the underground powerhouse on the left bank of the Baihetan Hydropower Station. [Photo/POWERCHINA]

The underground powerhouse on the left bank is 453 meters long, 34 m wide and 88.7 m high. It is equipped with eight hydro-generator units with a single unit capacity of 1 million kilowatts. The whole facility is equivalent to the size of one and a half National Aquatics Centers, otherwise known as the "Water Cube."

During the excavation stage, Sinohydro Bureau 7 Co adopted innovative construction methods and rock deformation control measures, effectively solving the technical problems of building giant underground caverns under complex geological conditions.

While pouring concrete and installing metal structures, the company has continued to include scientific and technological innovations into the project's high-quality construction. Developers have achieved many major scientific and technological innovations, providing a strong foundation for the project's high-quality construction.

Baihetan Hydropower Station is the second cascade power station built in the cascade development of the mainstream below the Jinsha River.

With a total installed capacity of 16 million kW and a single installed capacity of 1 million kW, it is the largest hydropower project that is under construction globally, with the largest total installed capacity.