Earth Filling for the World’s Highest Dam Begins

On April 26, the Dadu River Hydropower Development Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China Energy Investment Corporation, completed the first earth filling for the embankment dam of Shuangjiangkou Hydropower Station, the highest of its kind in the world, marking the official start of the dam filling construction of the hydropower station.

Earth filling for Shuangjiangkou Dam

A controlled reservoir project lying in the upper reaches of the Dadu River, Shuangjiangkou Hydropower Station is reputed for its “six highs”: high altitude, highly cold weather, high dam, high crustal stress, high water flow rate and high slopes. Rising 312 meters above the ground, the gravel-earth dam is the tallest such structure serving existing hydropower stations as well as those under construction worldwide.

Previously, Dadu River Company invited domestic and foreign experts to assess and discuss options for dam filling method selected after comparison of multiple alternatives and single out the best solution. Aiming at a smart dam, the subsidiary employs cutting-edge technologies such as image recognition, 5G+unmanned crushing and intelligent water replenishment to achieve intelligent monitoring, early warning and feedback control of the quality of materials for dam filling across the whole process from mining to transportation, crushing and quality examination, so as to ensure the quality and speed of dam construction.