Wuqiangxi Hydropower Plant in Huaihua

Basic Information

• Location: It lies within Wuqiangxi Town (五强溪镇), 73km upstream from Yuanling County, 130km from Changde City (常德市), and 310km from the provincial capitalsha Chang City (长沙市).
• Generating Capacity: With a total generating capacity of 1.2 million kilowatts, it’s Hunan Province’s largest hydropower station and a key plant for peak and frequency regulation in the Central China Power Grid.
• Dam Structure: It’s a concrete gravity arch dam, 85.83m high. At a normal pool level of 108m, its total reservoir is capacity 4.29 billion cubic meters, making it a seasonal – regulation reservoir.
• Construction History: Exploration began in 1952. Construction started and stopped twice in 1958 and 1980. It resumed in April 1986, with the first unit generating power in December 1994 and all units operational by the end of 1996, at a total investment of 8.9 billion yuan.

Comprehensive Benefits

• Power Generation: Designed to generate 5.37 billion kWh annually, it averages 5.4 billion kWh yearly, alleviating Hunan’s power supply tension and boosting local finances.
• Flood Control: Together with the upstream Fengangt Reservoir, it raises the flood – control standard of downstream dykes from a 5 – year to a 20 – year frequency, protecting the Dongting Lake area’s farmland.
• Navigation Improvement: Its navigation facilities include a single – line three – stage continuous ship lock, capable of handling 2.5 million tons of annual freight and 460,000 cubic meters of timber annually, enhancing the Yuan River’s navigability.

Tourism Info

• Scenic Spot: After impoundment, the station formed the beautiful “uxWi Lake (五溪湖)”. The lake, with its Danxia landforms, sparkling waters, and attractions like ancient temples and villages, is a national 3A – level scenic area known as the “Ten Great Wuxi Scenic Spots (五溪十大景观)”.
• Nearby Attractions: Close – by are Kuafu Mountain Scenic Area (夸父山风景区), Red Star Youth Tea Factory (红星知青茶厂), Dabie River Drifting (大别溪漂流), Eyou Mountain (二酉山 Phoenix), Mountain (凤凰山), and Xiangxi Anti – banditry Martyrs Memorial Park (湘西剿匪烈士纪念园).
• Local Delicacies & Souvenirs: Local specialties include cured meat, cured fish, river fish,蒿菜糍粑(Hao vegetable rice cakes), Jietan tea, sun – dried preserved meat, and Heheping black pigs. R梅酒 (plum wine), Jingzhou blood oranges, and Ox – heart fragrant candy are great souvenirs.

Transportation Guide