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Zambia Kafue Gorge Hydroelectric Power Station

Xia Ke Fu Xia Hydropower Station

Zambia Kafue Gorge Hydroelectric Power Station
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  • Zambia Kafue Gorge Hydroelectric Power Station

 

1.Project Honors:

Leading project in international engineering green supply chain management, a model project of the Belt and Road Initiative

 

2.Project Overview:

The Kafue Gorge Lower Hydropower Station is Zambia's40first large-scale hydropower station developed through investment in recent years. It is currently the country's largest single infrastructure project, known as the "No. 1 Project" of China-Zambia cooperation and a model project of the Belt and Road Initiative. The Kafue Gorge Lower Hydropower Station is located on the Kafue River, approximately90kilometers south of Lusaka, the capital of Zambia. The hydropower station is installed with5units of mixed-flow generating sets, with a total installed capacity of750megawatts, which can enhance Zambia's38%power supply capacity.

 

The main construction content of the Kafue Gorge Lower Hydropower Station includes a130.5meter-high roller compacted concrete gravity dam, a total length of5kilometers of water conveyance system, as well as a surface powerhouse and unit installation. The water conveyance system includes an intake tower, a main water conveyance tunnel, a surge tank, and5power tunnels. The main water conveyance tunnel is a key control project within the entire water conveyance system. The tunnel is4476.52meters long and is a fully circular concrete-lined,The surge tank is133.2meters deep and has a unique design shape, characterized by "large excavation diameter, irregular cross-section, complex concrete structural shape, and small platform area at the wellhead." It holds the special status of the "world's first well."

 

3.Technical Challenges:

Complex topographic and geological conditions, limited dam construction space; adjacent to Zambia's national park, high environmental protection requirements near the dam area; relatively low local building material production capacity, limited transportation conditions; weak industrial foundation, relatively scarce materials; large temperature variations in different seasons, etc.

 

4.Key Auxiliary Projects:

130.5meter-high roller compacted concrete gravity dam,5kilometer water conveyance system,133.2meter-deep surge tank

 

5.Value and Significance:

During the construction of this project, it created1.5tens of thousands of local jobs and comprehensively promoted the development of the local building materials industry, commerce, transportation, and mining industries, contributing to Zambia's economic development and improvement of people's livelihood. Since being connected to the grid, the Kafue Gorge Lower Hydropower Station has generated a total of50billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. It is estimated that it can reduce66.35tens of thousands of tons of carbon emissions annually. While alleviating the shortage of electricity, it helps Zambia better address climate change.

 

The power station's generation of electricity, while meeting domestic electricity demand, will also inject "Zambian power" into the Southern African Power Pool, actively exporting electricity to countries such as Malawi, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Namibia, contributing to the overall development of the Southern African region.