The Ertan Dam () is an
arch dam
An arch dam is a concrete dam that is curved upstream in plan. The arch dam is designed so that the force of the water against it, known as hydrostatic pressure, presses against the arch, causing the arch to straighten slightly and strengthen ...
on the
Yalong River
The Yalong River ( zh, 雅砻江, Pinyin, p ''Yǎlóngjiāng'', Wade–Giles, w ''Ya-lung Chiang'', Help:IPA/Mandarin, IPA ), or Nyag Chu (Standard Tibetan, Tibetan: , Tibetan pinyin, z ''Nyag Qu''), is a major tributary ...
, a tributary of the
Yangtze River
The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest list of rivers of Asia, river in Asia, the list of rivers by length, third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in th ...
in
Sichuan Province
Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...
, southwest
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
.
The dam has six
hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...
generators, each with a generating capacity of 550 MW. The total generating capacity of the facility is 3,300 MW, one of the largest hydroelectric stations in China. The annual production is 17
TWh TWH or twh could refer to:
* Tai Dón language, a language of Vietnam, Laos, and China
* Tai Wo Hau station, Hong Kong; MTR station code
* Tennessee Walking Horse, a breed of horse
* Toronto Western Hospital, a hospital in Toronto, Canada
* Tun ...
, and until December 5, 2006, it has produced over 100 TWh of electricity. Construction of the dam started on September 1991 and was completed on December 26, 1999.
我国西部的最大水电站二滩水电站全面建成投产
/ref> A total of of material was excavated during construction.
The Ertan Dam was designed by the China Hydropower Engineering Consulting Group Survey and Design Institute in Chengdu, and was constructed and is currently operated by Ertan Hydropower Development Company Limited, the owners of the dam. The company is invested by State Development and Investment Company (52% share) and Sichuan Chuantou Energy Limited (48% share).
Design
The Ertan Dam is a high and long double-curvature arch dam. The dam withholds a normal reservoir of with a drainage area of and normal surface area of . The dam has four different ways to discharge water downstream. First, the dam's spillway
A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of water downstream from a dam or levee, typically into the riverbed of the dammed river itself. In the United Kingdom, they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways ensure tha ...
's which contain 7 x floodgate
Floodgates, also called stop gates, are adjustable gates used to control water flow in flood barriers, reservoir, river, stream, or levee systems. They may be designed to set spillway crest heights in dams, to adjust flow rates in sluices and c ...
s at the crest and two flood tunnels can discharge and respectively. The dam also contains 6 x middle outlets and 4 x bottom outlets that can discharge and respectively. The dam's power station is located underground along with its transformer room which is in a separate cavern. Additionally, the power station is supported by an underground surge chamber
Surge means a sudden transient rush or flood, and may refer to:
Science
* Storm surge, the onshore gush of water associated with a low-pressure weather system
* Surge (glacier), a short-lived event where a glacier can move up to velocities 100 ...
as well.
Main Features
See also
* List of conventional hydroelectric power stations
This article lists hydroelectric power stations that generate power using the conventional dammed method. This list includes power stations that are larger than in maximum net capacity, and are operational or under construction. Those power sta ...
* List of power stations in China
The following page lists some power stations in mainland China divided by energy source and location.
Coal
Nuclear
Hydroelectric
Solar
Tide
Wind
By location
The following pages list the major power stations ...
References
{{stack, {{Portal, China, Water, Renewable energy
Hydroelectric power stations in Sichuan
Dams in China
Dams completed in 1999
Dams on the Yalong River
Arch dams
1999 establishments in China