Laxiwa Dam

Laxiwa Dam
Location of Laxiwa Dam
Official name 拉西瓦大坝
Location Guide County, Qinghai, China
Coordinates 36°04′18″N 101°11′14″E / 36.07167°N 101.18722°ECoordinates: 36°04′18″N 101°11′14″E / 36.07167°N 101.18722°E
Opening date 2009
Operator(s) Upper Yellow River Hydropower Development Company, Ltd
Dam and spillways
Type of dam Arch dam
Impounds Yellow River
Height 250 m (820 ft)
Length 460 m (1,510 ft)
Dam volume 3,681,800 cubic metres (130,020,000 cu ft)
Reservoir
Creates Laxiwa Reservoir
Total capacity 1,079,000,000 m3 (875,000 acre·ft)
Power station
Commission date May 18, 2009 (first two units)
Turbines 6 × 700MW
Installed capacity 4,200 MW
Annual generation 10.23 TWh (mean)

The Laxiwa Dam (simplified Chinese: 拉西瓦大坝; traditional Chinese: 拉西瓦大壩; pinyin: Lāxīwǎ Dàbà) is an arch dam on the Yellow River in Qinghai Province, northwest China. It is 32 km (20 mi) downstream of the Longyangxia Dam and 73 km (45 mi) upstream from the Lijiaxia Dam. The main purpose of the dam is hydroelectric power generation and it supports the largest station in the Yellow River basin. The facility generates power by utilizing six turbines, each with a generating capacity of 700 MW, totaling to a capacity of 4,200 MW.

Construction

By the beginning of 2004, the Yellow River was diverted and in September of that year, excavation on the dam's abutment began. In April 2006, the first concrete was cast and on May 18, 2009, the power plant's first two generators were commissioned. A total of 79,571,000 cubic metres (2.8100×109 cu ft) of earth and rock were excavated from the dam site.[1][2]

See also

References

  1. "Laxiwa". Chinese National Committee on Large Dams. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
  2. "China commissions 4,200-MW Laxiwa hydropower station". Hydroworld. Retrieved 7 January 2011.