The Dadu River Pillow Dam Second Stage Hydropower Station successfully closed its gates for water storage on April 17th. This project, invested in and developed by Guoneng Dadu River Basin Hydropower Development Co., Ltd. and constructed by the Sinohydro Bureau 7·Anneng Bureau 1 consortium, has now entered the impoundment phase, marking the countdown to its operational commencement.
Located in Jinkouhe Urban Area, Leshan City, Sichuan Province, the Pillow Dam Second Stage Hydropower Station is the 22nd facility in the adjusted plan for the main stream of the Dadu River. With a total installed capacity of 300 megawatts, it represents a rare instance of a large-scale hydropower plant constructed within an urban setting in China. Upon completion, the station is projected to generate approximately 1.503 billion kilowatt-hours of clean, green electricity annually.
Since construction began in October 2021, the project team has overcome numerous challenges, successfully meeting all key milestones. A significant innovation involved the application of a complete set of key technologies for constructing a two-meter ultra-thick impermeable wall under complex geological conditions. This pioneering approach marked the first use of such ultra-thick continuous impermeable wall construction technology in a major Chinese hydropower project. Additionally, the team pioneered a method where the cofferdam was built to its full height in a single phase before constructing the impermeable wall, significantly enhancing construction efficiency and laying a solid foundation for safe flood passage following the second-stage river diversion.
To date, the main structures of the powerhouse and dam for the Pillow Dam Second Stage Hydropower Station have been fully concreted. Once operational, the station will play a vital role in optimizing Sichuan's energy mix, supporting the development of a clean, low-carbon energy system, and contributing new momentum towards achieving the national "Dual Carbon" goals.
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