| Longyangxia Dam | |
|---|---|
 Satellite picture of the Longyangxia Dam reservoir and solar power park | |
  Location of Longyangxia Dam in China | |
| Country | China |
| Location | Gonghe County, Qinghai Province |
| Coordinates | 36°07′20″N 100°55′06″E / 36.12222°N 100.91833°E |
| Status | In use |
| Construction began | 1976 |
| Opening date | 1992 |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Arch gravity dam |
| Impounds | Yellow River |
| Height | 178 metres (584 ft) |
| Length | 396 metres (1,299 ft) |
| Width (crest) | 18.5 metres (61 ft) |
| Width (base) | 80 metres (262 ft) |
| Spillway type | Service, gate-controlled on crest |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Longyangxia Reservoir |
| Total capacity | 24.7 billion cubic metres (20,000,000 acre⋅ft) |
| Catchment area | 752,443 square kilometres (290,520 sq mi) |
| Surface area | 383 square kilometres (148 sq mi) |
| Power Station | |
| Hydraulic head | 122 metres (400 ft) (design) |
| Turbines | 4 x 320 MW |
| Installed capacity | 1,280 MW 1,400 MW (max. planned) |
| Annual generation | 6 TWh |
| Longyangxia Dam Solar Park | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Commission date | 2014 |
| Construction cost | CN¥6 billion[1] |
| Power generation | |
| Nameplate capacity | 850 MW |
The Longyangxia Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam at the entrance of the Longyangxia canyon on the Yellow River in Gonghe County, Qinghai Province, China. The dam is 178 metres (584 ft) tall and was built for the purposes of hydroelectric power generation, irrigation, ice control and flood control. The dam supports a 1,280 MW power station with 4 x 320 MW generators that can operate at a maximum capacity of 1400 MW. Controlling ice, the dam controls downstream releases to reservoirs lower in the river, allowing them to generate more power instead of mitigating ice. Water in the dam's 24.7 billion m3 reservoir provides irrigation water for up to 1,000,000 hectares (2,471,054 acres) of land.[2]
The dam is composed of its main body and a gravity pier and secondary dam on both its left and right flank. The dam's service spillway contains two 12 metres (39 ft) wide gates that discharge water into two 260 metres (853 ft) and 280 metres (919 ft) long chutes. Downstream discharges are also controlled by a similar single-chute middle outlet and the lower outlet works.[2]
- ^ "China builds world's biggest solar farm in journey to become green superpower", The Guardian. 19 January 2017
- ^ a b "Longyangxia Hydropower Project" (PDF). Chinese National Committee on Large Dams. Retrieved 7 January 2011.