Yebatan hydropower station begins reservoir filling, advancing toward 2026 operation

The Yebatan Hydropower Station in southwest China began filling its reservoir on Monday, entering the final stage before its first power-generating units go online.

As a major project in the nation's "14th Five-Year Plan" (2021-2025), this marks the concrete double-curvature arch dam hydropower station under construction at the highest altitude in China officially entering the final stage towards the operation of its first batch of generating units.

The Yebatan Hydropower Station, a key component of the upper Jinsha River clean-energy base, is under construction on the mainstream of the Jinsha River at the junction of Baiyu County, Sichuan Province, and Konjo County, Xizang Autonomous Region in southwest China.

The station has a total installed capacity of 2,240 MW, with a maximum dam height of 217 meters. During construction, Chinese engineers extracted a record-breaking 38.1-meter-long concrete core sample in May.

"Reservoir filling will proceed in two stages. The first stage, starting today, will raise the water level to the 2,855-meter minimum operating level, creating conditions for the first generating units to begin operation by the end of this year. The second stage is the initial operation period, expected to last until October next year, when the water level will be raised to the 2,889-meter normal pool level. This will maximize the coordinated dispatch and operation capability of the cascade power stations on the upper Jinsha River," said Du Xiaofan, head of the engineering management department, Yebatan branch, Huadian Jinsha River Upstream Hydropower Development Co.

As a key part of China's west-to-east power transmission program, once it is fully operational, the Yebatan Station will generate over 10.2 billion kWh of electricity annually, equivalent to saving nearly 4 million tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 7.37 million tons each year.

The clean electricity generated will be transmitted to central China via the world's highest-altitude large-capacity hydropower-photovoltaic hybrid DC transmission line-- Jinshang-Hubei ±800 kV UHV DC transmission project -- which is significant for optimizing China's energy structure and promoting local economic and social development.

Construction of the hydropower station's main structure began in September 2018 and the full operation is scheduled in 2026.

Yebatan hydropower station begins reservoir filling, advancing toward 2026 operation

Hong Kong's first astronaut lifted off into space on Sunday, sparking a wave of enthusiasm for space exploration in the special administrative region, while inspiring a new generation to look to the stars.

The Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 23:08 (Beijing Time) on Sunday. The crew members include Lai Ka-ying, the first astronaut and payload specialist from Hong Kong to join a national space mission, whose achievements have motivated many Hong Kong residents.

"I feel so happy and thrilled. This is the first time a Hong Kong astronaut has gone to space, and to see a true Hong Konger, who is also a mother of three, just really touches my heart," said Chow, a local resident.

The successful spaceflight of Lai has especially captivated the younger generation to dream bigger about the future.

"I want to be an astronaut, because I want to discover more things about space," said a young student surnamed Chow.

"I have seen things related to spaceflights of astronauts. I hope when I grow up, I could receive training and go to space myself," said another student surnamed Koo.

To meet public expectations, the Hong Kong Space Museum has updated its space-themed exhibition with the latest development of the Shenzhou-23 mission, extending the display until July 6. Parents are seizing the moment to enrich their children's knowledge.

"At his age, I want him to be exposed to a wide range of information. With all the recent astronaut news, I brought him here specially to see for himself. We will also check out a film about space knowledge at the planetarium. I hope he can get more out of this from an early age," said Cheung, a father.

"We just watched the Shenzhou-23 launch at home with my son last night, and decided to take him to the Space Museum," a mother surnamed Chun shared.

"I saw on TV that so many people were cheering for the launch. When the rocket was launched, fire burst out from its body. I was really happy they succeeded," said Chun's son.

Hong Kong's first astronaut ignites citywide enthusiasm over space exploration