Two CPIC Power Plants Begin Operation in Hunan Province

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Unit 2 of China Power Investment Corporation's (CPIC) (Beijing) 74-megawatt (MW) Zhuxikou Hydropower Station was successfully connected to the grid and put into a 72-hour trial operation on June 27, CPIC announced July 1.

Zhuxikou Hydropower Station, located on the Zishui River in Anhui county, Hunan province, is a hydropower project with a catchment area of 23,213 square kilometers at the dam site and a total reservoir capacity of 19.5 million cubic meters. The power station is furnished with four outer gate barrel hydraulic units, each of which generates 18.5 MW of power for a total annual average output of 295 million kilowatt-hours. Construction of the project was started in November 2005. The first unit was put into operation April 2. Presently, Units 3 and 4 are being placed on the site and are expected to begin operation this year.

On June 24, Unit 1 of the 1,200-MW Huolinhe Pithead Power Plant Phase I project was successfully connected to the grid and started trial operation. Start-up of the unit occurred on June 23, and the rotor of the steam turbine successfully operated at its rated speed of 3000 rpm the following day. Various tests such as a simulated synchronization test, an exciter test and a no-load test were successfully done one after another, and all protection devices operated normally.

Huolinhe Pithead Power Plant is located at Tongliao city in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. The project is jointly invested and operated by CPIC and Huolinhe Coal Group Company Limited (Tongliao). The power plant has a total planned capacity of 3,600 MW to be built in phases. Two 600-MW units will be built in Phase I.

The project received approval from the National Development and Reform Commission in May 2006. Construction of the project was officially started in September 2006, and both units are expected to begin operation this year.

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