Dachaoshan Dam
The Dachaoshan Dam is a gravity dam on the Lancang (Mekong) River in Yunnan Province, China. The sole purpose of the dam is hydroelectric power production as it supplies water to a power station containing six 225 MW generators for a total installed capacity of 1,350 MW.
Background
Initial construction preparations on the dam began in 1993 before it was approved ready for construction in 1994. On August 4, 1997, the project was approved for construction commencement and on November 10, 1997, the river was diverted. Between 2001 and 2003, the dam was complete and all six generators went operational.Design
The dam is a tall and long gravity dam. It is composed of of concrete, is roller-compacted concrete. The reservoir created by the dam has a capacity of. To release water downstream, the dam has five x crest openings along with three mid-level openings and one bottom flushing outlet. With these openings, the design flood discharge capacity of the dam is while the maximum is.The dam's power station is underground and supplied with water via six long penstocks. Once through the six turbines, the water exits back to the river by means of two tailrace tunnels, one long and the other.