On April 1, the first million-kilowatt hydropower station in New China, the Liujiaxia Hydropower Station of the State Grid Gansu Electric Power Company, celebrated its 55th birthday.

The Liujiaxia Hydropower Station in the Linxia Hui autonomous prefecture, Gansu province [Photo provided to gogansu.com]

Located in Linxia Hui autonomous prefecture, Gansu province, the plant has generated a cumulative 269.85 billion kilowatt-hours over the past 55 years, making a huge contribution to the province's and the whole of Northwest China region's economic development.

Over the decades, the station has adhered to equipment transformation and technological innovation. The newly-built Taohe River estuary sand drainage tunnel and machine expansion project are expected to maintain full momentum and stamina for its operation.

The station can also adeptly manage reservoir outflows, ensuring year-on-year safety for the Yellow River's middle and lower reaches. Its resilience was evident during the formidable 1981 once-in-a-century flood and the sustained pressure of continuous full-load operations from 2018 to 2020.

The Liujiaxia Hydropower Station in the Linxia Hui autonomous prefecture, Gansu province [Photo provided to gogansu.com]

In April and October every year, the station provides 800 million to 1.2 billion cubic meters of water for spring and winter irrigation in Gansu, Ningxia, and Inner Mongolia, so that more than 106.7 hectares of land can be irrigated in a timely manner. Thanks to the replenishment, the local grain yield per unit area has greatly increased, as too has the income of local farmers.

In addition, great efforts have been made to land greening in and around the reservoir area. More than 2 million trees have been planted on both sides of the Yellow River, increasing the vegetation space by 225 hectares, which has made a big difference to the local ecological environment.