ICOLD congratulates CTG for commissioning power units at Wudongde dam

Michael Rogers, President of the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD), congratulated China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG) for commissioning the first batch of power units at its giant Wudongde hydropower station on the Jinsha River, calling it a “monumental achievement”.

CTG put the Wudongde’s first two units into operation on June 29, starting to deliver comprehensive benefits including power supply, flood control, navigation, and local economic and social development.

In a congratulatory letter to CTG on July 1, Michael Rogers express his heartfelt congratulations on the achievement.

“Dams have provided mankind with critical infrastructure for thousands of years as engineers and builders have endeavored to develop the natural resources of our planet into a sustainable supply of water and power. Cities and nations have thrived due to the influences and availability of reliable, sustainable, and safe water and energy supply systems,” Michael Rogers said in the letter.

“Around the world, nations face similar challenges to utilize precious water resources in safe, sustainable, economical, and mutually beneficial environmental stewardship approaches,” he said.

The 10,200 MW Wudongde hydropower station will be able to generate 38.9 TWh of electricity per year after its 12 generating units commissioning. Located in southwest China, the Wudongde hydropower station “will have a substantial positive impact on regional social and economic development,” the ICOLD President said in the letter.

The large amount of clean energy produced by Wudongde “will allow a significant positive impact in southwest China with a considerable amount of energy conservation and reduction of regional harmful emissions through the reduced reliance on fossil fuels”, he said.

Michael Rogers said the Wudongde project will help promote improved safety and quality for development of dam projects around the world. “The Wudongde project has demonstrated the use of cutting-edge, state-of-the-practice intelligent technologies, including real time temperature monitoring and intelligent grouting equipment. I believe that the development and use of these intelligent technologies is the future of our profession,” he said in the letter.

Michael Rogers, a practicing dam engineer for more than 40 years, has paid seven professional visits to China since becoming ICOLD president, where hydropower industry and technical advances has developed by leaps and bounds.

Michael Rogers said China is the clear global leader in the technology for the design and construction of large dams and hydropower stations, commending China’s knowledge-sharing efforts in the dam industry.

“I have seen the strong support of China for the camaraderie of nations and individuals sharing advances in technology and experiences in the planning, design construction and operation of dams have greatly contributed to the safety of some of our world’s most important dam infrastructure projects located in nations large and small,” he said in the letter.

“It is in this learning that we as engineers, managers, ministers and other professionals as part of the profession of dam engineering are better able to serve our fellow members of humanity who have their lives improved with the clean water, renewable and sustainable electricity, critical flood protection and many other benefits for the safety of dams around the world,” he said.