Construction of Main Part of World's Largest Stress-Free Spillway Tunnel Cluster Completed

The main part of the Baihetan hydropower station's spillway tunnels in Southwest China's Sichuan province was completed on Dec 19.

Consisting of three stress-free spillway tunnels, the project is so far the largest tunnel cluster of its kind in the world.

The tunnels are capable of discharging as much as 12,000 cubic meters of water per second and have a flow speed of about 47 meters per second.

A spillway tunnel is responsible for flood discharging, making it a key part of a hydropower station. The hydropower industry has longed for high-quality concreting for years.

The completion of the spillway tunnels was the first success in zero defect construction based on lining concrete in a hydraulic tunnel.

A ceremony is held on Dec 19 to celebrate completion of the main part of the Baihetan hydropower station's spillway tunnel project in Sichuan province. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

A view of the construction site of the spillway tunnels' water inlets at the Beihetan hydropower station in Sichuan [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

(Executive editor: Wang Ruoting)