A giant hydropower hub with a total investment of 31.7 billion yuan has reached a critical turning point in the construction of the eastern Tibetan canyon in the upper reaches of the Lancang River. On August 13, 2026, the bidding candidates for the two core preliminary projects of Huaneng Guxue Hydropower Station were announced. Key enterprises under China Energy Construction and China Electric Power Construction won all the candidate seats, and the preliminary project worth over 1.3 billion yuan is about to start construction. This clean energy hub with an installed capacity of 2100 megawatts has officially entered the substantive construction stage of the early stage of the 15th Five Year Plan, laying a solid foundation for the external transmission of electricity from Tibet and the coordinated development of water and light in the basin.

Overview and Construction Value of the Power Station

Located in Changdu, Xizang, Guxue Hydropower Station is a key cascade hydropower project in the upper reaches of the Lancang River and a core clean energy project in Xizang. The project adopts a riverbed concrete arch dam with a height of 235 meters, a regulating storage capacity of 45 million cubic meters, a total installed capacity of 2100 megawatts, and equipped with four 525 megawatt generator sets.

After the completion of the project, the average annual power generation will reach 9.4 billion kilowatt hours, which can effectively increase the proportion of non fossil energy and help achieve the dual carbon target. At the same time, the project overcomes the complex geological construction difficulties in the plateau, which can accumulate key technical experience for the development of high-altitude hydropower in China and improve the layout of the Southwest power system.

Two core contents of preliminary engineering

The two major projects of diversion tunnel and sand and gravel processing system announced in this bidding announcement are the core pre guarantee for the main construction of the power station, directly supporting the overall construction progress of the project. The project will install two diversion tunnels, with Tunnel 1 having a net section of 13 meters by 18 meters and a total length of 1493.107 meters, and Tunnel 2 having a net section of 8 meters by 10 meters and a total length of 1589.089 meters. The construction includes tunnel construction, geological treatment, cofferdam construction, and green intelligent construction. The project is planned to start in June 2026 and be completed in June 2028.

The sand and gravel processing system will be constructed in two phases. The first phase can meet the demand for 400000 cubic meters of concrete materials and adapt to a monthly pouring strength of 55800 cubic meters. The joint processing capacity of the first and second phases reaches 1600 tons per hour, with a service period until June 2034, and synchronized supporting intelligent operation and maintenance as well as various infrastructure supporting facilities.

Bid winning quotation and enterprise strength

The two major sections are contested by leading domestic hydropower state-owned enterprises, with a price difference of only 400000 yuan, which can be ignored in billion dollar projects, highlighting the industry's standardized and transparent competitive landscape. In the diversion tunnel project, Gezhouba Group ranked first with 6.9933161 million yuan, with significant advantages in mature high-altitude tunnel construction experience; In the sand and gravel system engineering, Hydropower Bureau 8 ranks first with 635.437666 million yuan, and has been deeply involved in the industry for many years, which can fully match the long-term operation and maintenance needs of the project. Keywords: Guxue Hydropower Station, Plateau Hydropower, Clean Energy

At present, the preliminary construction of the project is about to land, and the two major central enterprises will make every effort to promote the construction preparation, clear the construction obstacles of the main project, and assist in the efficient development of clean energy in eastern Tibet.Editor/Huang jiali