A view of the inlet spherical valve for Unit 1 at Zhala Hydropower Station. Photo: Screenshot from Dongfang Electric Corporation's Wechat account

The world's largest impulse hydropower unit successfully completed its rotor hoisting at the Datang Zhala Hydropower Station in Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region on Tuesday, the CCTV News reported. The milestone marks China's entry into the world's leading ranks in innovating core technologies for ultra-high-head, large-capacity impulse hydropower equipment, which will support the development of clean energy in southeastern Xizang.

The Datang Zhala Hydropower Station is a major national project for transmitting electricity from Xizang to other regions. It is equipped with two 500-megawatts impulse units, the largest single-unit generator of this capacity globally, which features technological advantages such as high altitude, ultra-high head, and large capacity.

The project is also the first approved megawatt-level hydropower project in Xizang and a key power source for China's national-level clean energy demonstration base integrating hydropower, wind, and solar resources in southeastern Xizang region, according to media reports.

The rotor hoisted on Wednesday is the "power heart" of the generator that enables energy conversion. Weighing about 840 tons, equivalent to the total weight of 560 sedan cars, its successful installation marks the final sprint phase before the project goes into commercial operation, the report said.

Once fully operational, the hydropower station will generate nearly 4 billion kilowatt hours of clean renewable electricity annually, saving 1.3 million tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 3.42 million tons.

The Datang Zala Hydropower Station is located on the Yuqu River, a tributary of the Nu River, which flows from Southwest China's Yunnan Province to eastern Myanmar and empties into the Andaman Sea.