On June 16, 2020, China Hydropower Group announced that the portal crane of the Baihetan Hydropower Station, which was constructed by the Fifth Bureau of Hydropower, passed the load test, indicating that the largest lifting crane in the world's hydropower station is ready for operation.

Baihetan Hydropower Station Spillway Tunnel Crane is composed of hoisting mechanism, slewing crane, gantry structure, machine room, cart cable reel device, cart running mechanism and safety device, etc. It is arranged on the 834 platform of the dam crest of the spillway tunnel. 2×8000kN/630kN. Among them, the main lifting weight is 2×8000kN, which is currently the largest single lifting capacity of the hydropower station in the world, mainly used for the opening and closing and lifting of the flood gate accident gate; the rotary lifting weight is 630kN, which is used for the hydraulic opening and closing of the spillway Machine installation and maintenance.

The load test is composed of three parts: empty load, dynamic load and static load. The rated lifting weights of different magnifications are respectively lifted for round-trip operation or static holding. It is the last step of the door machine acceptance stage and is used to check whether the door machine can work normally.

The test was conducted under the supervision of a third-party organization. The test process was smooth and orderly, with controlled safety and quality, and the test data met the relevant specifications. The completion of the load test of the floodgate portal machine of Baihetan Hydropower Station means that the equipment passed the installation acceptance.

According to the work plan, the door crane will be officially put into use in the subsequent flood gate accident maintenance gate and hydraulic hoist installation, providing a solid guarantee for the flood gate to have water blocking conditions at the end of April 2021.

Baihetan Hydropower Station is located in Ningnan County, Sichuan Province and Qiaojia County, Yunnan Province. It is the second cascade power station developed in the cascade of the main stream of the lower reaches of the Jinsha River. The main dam is a concrete double-curved arch dam with a top height of 834 meters and a maximum height. At 289 meters, after the completion of the power station, it will become China's second largest hydropower station after the Three Gorges Hydropower Station and the world's largest hydropower project currently under construction. The power station will achieve the first batch of power generation in July 2021. Editor/Peng Xue