China installs world's largest hydropower unit

China has completed the installation of the world's largest hydropower-generating unit and has now entered thetrial stage.

According to the China Three Gorges Corporation, workers are now testing the generator with a capacity of 800,000 kW at the Xiangjiaba hydropower station, which is located in the lower reaches of the Jinsha River.

The trial on the unit, coded No. 8, is set to be finished by the end of July, said the spokesman.

The construction of the Xiangjiaba dam, undertaken by the corporation, started in late 2006. The first batch ofits units are expected to be put into use as early as October, he said.

The dam, designed with eight 800,000-kW generators, will have a total generating capacity only following the Three Gorges Dam and the Xiluodu hydropower station in the country.

Previous reports said China is working on hydropower units with a record-breaking capacity of more than 1million kW, expected to be put into service by 2020.

For more.