Wanjiazhai Dam
Encyclopedia
The Wanjiazhai Dam is a gravity dam on the Yellow River
on the border of Pianguan County
, Shaanxi Province (east bank) and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (west bank), China
. The main purpose of the dam is water supply for the Wanjiazhai Water Control Project along with peak hydroelectric power generation. Construction on the dam began in 1994, the first generator went online in 1998 and the last in 2000.
-generators for an installed capacity of 1,080 MW.
, Shuozhou
and Datong
and provide electricity for areas around the dam. First, water derived from the Wanjiazhai Dam's reservoir is pumped through the 44 km (27 mi) long General Main at a rate up to 48 m3/s, being assisted by three pump stations and the Shentongzui Reservoir along the way. At Xiatuzhai village, the General Main reaches a diversion sluice where it splits into the South Main and the North Main. Traveling at a rate of 20.5 m3/s, water moves through the South Main for a distance of 102 km (63 mi) to Fenhe River and then the Fenhe Reservoir 38°04′01"N 111°53′48"E near Taiyuan. The South Main is intended to deliver 640000000 cubic metre of water a year. The North Main, beginning at Xiatuzhai, travels northward for a distance of 167 km (104 mi) at a rate of 22.2 m3/s, being assisted during its route by the Daliang Reservoir and pump station. The North Main terminates at the Zhaojiaxiaocun Reservoir near Datong.
Contracts for the water control project were awarded in 2001 and by the end of the year, the first step was complete when Yellow River water flowed into the Fehne Reservoir. The entire cost of the project is $1.5 billion, $500 million is being funded by the World Bank
.
Yellow River
The Yellow River or Huang He, formerly known as the Hwang Ho, is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows through nine provinces of China and empties into...
on the border of Pianguan County
Pianguan County
Pianguan County is a county of Shanxi, China. It is under the administration of Xinzhou city.-References:*...
, Shaanxi Province (east bank) and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (west bank), China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. The main purpose of the dam is water supply for the Wanjiazhai Water Control Project along with peak hydroelectric power generation. Construction on the dam began in 1994, the first generator went online in 1998 and the last in 2000.
Construction
The State Planning Commission approved construction of the dam in 1993. At the end of 1994, construction on the dam began and by December 1995, the river was diverted around the construction site. On October 1, 1998, the dam began to impound the reservoir and the first generator went online on November 28, 1998. Two more generators went online in 1999 and the final three in 2000.Dam design
The dam is a 105 m (344 ft) tall and 443 m (1,453 ft) long concrete gravity dam that withholds a reservoir with 896000000 cubic metre of water, 445000000 cubic metre of which is the regulating capacity. The dam's power plant contains 6 x 180 MW Francis TurbineFrancis turbine
The Francis turbine is a type of water turbine that was developed by James B. Francis in Lowell, Massachusetts. It is an inward-flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts....
-generators for an installed capacity of 1,080 MW.
Wanjiazhai Water Control Project
Also known as the Wanjiazhai Water Transfer Project or Shanxi Wanjiazhai Yellow River Diversion Project, it is designed to alleviate water shortages in TaiyuanTaiyuan
Taiyuan is the capital and largest city of Shanxi province in North China. At the 2010 census, it had a total population of 4,201,591 inhabitants on 6959 km² whom 3,212,500 are urban on 1,460 km². The name of the city literally means "Great Plains", referring to the location where the Fen River...
, Shuozhou
Shuozhou
Shuozhou is a city in the north of Shanxi Province in North China, located on the upper reaches of the Fen River. As of 2004, its population is approximately 1.25 million, and the city has an area of approximately 5,737 square kilometres. Administratively, Shuozhou is a prefecture-level city, with...
and Datong
Datong
Datong is a prefecture-level city in northern Shanxi Province of North China, located a few hundred kilometres west by rail from Beijing with an elevation of...
and provide electricity for areas around the dam. First, water derived from the Wanjiazhai Dam's reservoir is pumped through the 44 km (27 mi) long General Main at a rate up to 48 m3/s, being assisted by three pump stations and the Shentongzui Reservoir along the way. At Xiatuzhai village, the General Main reaches a diversion sluice where it splits into the South Main and the North Main. Traveling at a rate of 20.5 m3/s, water moves through the South Main for a distance of 102 km (63 mi) to Fenhe River and then the Fenhe Reservoir 38°04′01"N 111°53′48"E near Taiyuan. The South Main is intended to deliver 640000000 cubic metre of water a year. The North Main, beginning at Xiatuzhai, travels northward for a distance of 167 km (104 mi) at a rate of 22.2 m3/s, being assisted during its route by the Daliang Reservoir and pump station. The North Main terminates at the Zhaojiaxiaocun Reservoir near Datong.
Contracts for the water control project were awarded in 2001 and by the end of the year, the first step was complete when Yellow River water flowed into the Fehne Reservoir. The entire cost of the project is $1.5 billion, $500 million is being funded by the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
.