GE Vernova to upgrade China's 6.4 GW Xiangjiaba hydropower plant

GE Vernova was selected by Yangtze Power to upgrade air supply pipes at China's 6.4 GW Xiangjiaba Hydropower Plant by mid-2024. Hydropower-modernisation projects offer efficiency-improvement models relevant to India's substantial hydropower fleet.

GE Vernova was chosen by Yangtze Power to upgrade China's Xiangjiaba Hydropower Plant, covering design, manufacturing, delivery, installation and commissioning of three main shaft air supply pipes, with completion anticipated within the first half of 2024. The upgrade replaces air supply pipes to enhance sealing effectiveness and sustain efficiency. Operational since 2014, the plant has a capacity of 6.4 GW across eight hydropower units, situated downstream of the Jinsha River as one of China's largest hydropower facilities.

The development affects hydropower operators, utilities, and equipment suppliers. The plant transmits energy from western to eastern China, providing cleaner electricity to approximately five million people annually, while delivering flood prevention, improved navigation, and agricultural irrigation. It reduces approximately 12 million tons of CO2 emissions annually, equivalent to emissions from two million vehicles. GE Vernova also secured orders for four gas turbines supporting China's coal-to-gas transition in the Greater Bay Area, reinforcing its partnership with Yangtze Power.

Indian hydropower operators and utilities should monitor modernisation and refurbishment approaches that enhance efficiency and sealing in ageing plants, as illustrated by the Xiangjiaba air-supply-pipe upgrade. Affected entities should assess upgrade economics against generation gains and emissions avoidance, benchmarking against the plant's 12-million-ton annual CO2 reduction. As renewable integration intensifies, stakeholders can evaluate component-replacement programmes to sustain capacity factors across hydropower fleets and support grid reliability and energy-transition goals.

Key figure — Plant capacity: 6.4 GW; annual CO2 reduction of ~12 million tons