China’s First Fishway for Hydropower Station under Operation Began Main Works Construction

On December 1, the newly built fish ladder of the Tongjiezi hydropower station of Dadu River Hydropower Development Co., Ltd. (“Dadu River Company” for short) under CHN Energy began concrete pouring, marking that China’s first fishway for a hydropower station under operation entered the stage of main works construction. When the project is completed, it will facilitate the breeding and reproduction of fish in the Dadu River Basin and help protect biodiversity in the aquatic ecosystem.

(The main works of the fishway for the Tongjiezi hydropower station started concrete pouring.)

The fish ladder extends 1,388.32 meters on the right sloped bank of the Tongjiezi hydropower station in the lower reaches of the Dadu River. It consists of an inlet, an inlet passage, a passage across the sloped bank, an excavated section behind the dam, a section across the dam, an open-pit outlet channel, and an outlet. When completed, the fishway will serve as a “green passage” for fish migration along the Dadu River.

Since its establishment, Dadu River Company has upheld the strategy of green development. It has built China’s first high-head ecological fishway, set up the Dadu River Rare Fish Conservation and Research Center, and bred 10 fish species under provincial-level protection as well as endemic commercial fish species including Pcrcocypris pingi, Onychostoma sima, and Beaufortia liui. Besides, the company has carried out rare fish proliferation and release activities for 13 consecutive years. The effort to add fishways to the Gongzui and Tongjiezi hydropower stations that have been put into operation aims to further protect the eco-environment of the Dadu River Basin, boost genetic exchanges of fish populations between the upstream and downstream of the dams, facilitate fish proliferation and reproduction in the Dadu River Basin, and reduce hydropower projects’ impact on fish habitats. It is expected to play a crucial role in promoting ecological coordination and sustainable development in the Dadu River Basin.