Yalong River Hydropower Development Company, Ltd.

What Yalong River Hydropower Development Company, Ltd. does

Yalong River Hydropower Development Company, Ltd. (雅砻江流域水电开发有限公司), founded in 1989 and renamed in November 2012 from its predecessor Ertan Hydropower Development Company, is a state-owned integrated clean energy development enterprise headquartered in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. The company is the only entity in China nationally authorized by the National Development and Reform Commission to develop the entire Yalong River basin, and is owned 52% by SDIC Power Holdings and 48% by Sichuan Chuantou Energy, with paid-in registered capital of 507 billion RMB. It operates seven hydropower stations (Ertan, Jinping I, Jinping II, Guandi, Tongzilin, Lianghekou, Yangfanggou) totaling approximately 19.2 GW of capacity, five operational new energy projects totaling over 1.6 GW, plus multiple pumped storage (Lianghekou, Daofu) and integrated water-wind-solar projects in construction or planning.

The company's core technology stack combines large-scale cascade hydropower engineering with three major regulating reservoirs (Lianghekou, Jinping I, Ertan) providing 148.4 billion cubic meters of regulating storage and full-year cascade regulation, plus a digital layer of BIM intelligent construction, digital twin, AI vision, drone-based inspection, and predictive analytics for wind/solar forecasting. Its portfolio includes world-record assets such as the world's highest dam (Jinping I at 305m), China's highest earth-rockfill dam (Lianghekou at 300m), the world's largest hybrid pumped storage project (Lianghekou), and the world's highest-altitude large-scale pumped storage station (Daofu at 4,300m).

The business model is generation-and-grid-offtake: the company produces electricity from its hydropower, wind, and solar stations and sells it directly to two provincial state grid customers, Sichuan Electric Power Corporation and Chongqing Electric Power Corporation, through long-term power purchase agreements and competitive market mechanisms, with usage-based revenue derived from metered kWh delivered. The company is pursuing a mid-century roadmap to scale to 30 GW hydropower, 50 GW new energy, and 10 GW pumped storage, leveraging its basin-wide monopoly and state backing to build a world-class water-wind-solar integrated clean energy demonstration base.

Name

Yalong River Hydropower Development Company, Ltd.

Legal name

雅砻江流域水电开发有限公司

Website

https://ehdc.com.cn

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Yalong River Hydropower Development Company is China's only nationally authorized developer of the entire Yalong River basin, operating approximately 23 GW of integrated hydropower, pumped storage, wind, and solar capacity and selling electricity to Sichuan and Chongqing provincial grid companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hydropower and Renewable Energy Generation

NAICS

Hydroelectric Power Generation (221111)

akta.pro primary industry

Reservoir/Impoundment Hydroelectric Generation (EUACAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hydropower Operations, Maintenance & Asset Management (O&M, Spares, Performance) (EUAMADAE), Hydropower Plant Controls, SCADA & Digital Optimization (Automation, Monitoring, Analytics) (EUAMADAG)

Keywords

• Hydropower generation
• Renewable energy utilities
• Pumped storage power
• Wind solar integration
• River basin development

Headquarters

HQ city

Chengdu

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Hydropower Electricity Sales: Generating and selling electricity from hydropower stations to regional power grids. Revenue derived from long-term power purchase agreements and competitive electricity market pricing.
2. New Energy Electricity Sales: Generating and selling electricity from wind and solar power stations to power grids

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Yalong River Hydropower Development Company operates an integrated clean energy generation enterprise developing the Yalong River basin's hydropower and renewable energy resources. It generates and sells electricity from hydropower stations (19.2 GW capacity), pumped storage facilities, and wind/solar projects (over 1.6 GW capacity) to regional power grid companies including Sichuan Electric Power Corporation and Chongqing Electric Power Corporation. The company is the only nationally authorized entity in China to develop an entire river basin, with three major regulating reservoirs enabling full-year cascade regulation.

Product overview

Yalong River Hydropower Development Company, Ltd. operates as an integrated clean energy development enterprise managing the Yalong River basin. The portfolio comprises 7 operational hydropower stations (Ertan, Jinping I, Jinping II, Guandi, Tongzilin, Lianghekou, Yangfanggou) with combined capacity of approximately 19.2 million kilowatts, 5 operational new energy projects (Kola, Dechang, Laba Mountain, Huili, Mianning) totaling over 1.6 million kilowatts, and multiple projects under construction (Kara, Mengdigou, Yagen 1, Zhalashan, Chabulang, Suorong, Kola Phase II, Mao Niushan, Daofu) and planning stages (Yagen 2, Lenggu, upper reaches). The company is developing a world-class water-wind-solar integrated clean energy demonstration base targeting 30 million kilowatts of hydropower, 50 million kilowatts of new energy, and 10 million kilowatts of pumped storage capacity by mid-century.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ertan Hydropower Station (二滩水电站) China's largest hydropower station completed in the 20th century, featuring a 240-meter arch dam and 3.3 million kilowatt installed capacity, marking a milestone in modern hydropower engineering management reform. Sells electricity to regional power grids.
• Jinping I Hydropower Station (锦屏一级水电站) World's highest dam at 305 meters, with 3.6 million kilowatt installed capacity and annual power generation of 16.62 billion kilowatt-hours. A key reservoir project in the lower Yalong River basin.
• Jinping II Hydropower Station (锦屏二级水电站) World's largest scale water tunnel group, with 4.8 million kilowatt installed capacity, utilizing 16.67-kilometer diversion tunnels for power generation.
• Lianghekou Hydropower Station (两河口水电站) China's highest earth-rockfill dam at 300 meters, built with full-process intelligent technology, pioneering the new direction of water conservancy and hydropower engineering intelligent construction.
• Lianghekou Pumped Storage (两河口抽蓄) World's largest hybrid pumped storage project, with 1.2 million kilowatt expansion units combined with existing Lianghekou station for 4.2 million kilowatt total capacity, supporting 7 million kilowatts of wind and solar integration.
• Kola Phase I Photovoltaic (柯拉一期光伏) World's largest water-solar complementary project with 1 million kilowatt installed capacity, set at altitudes of 4,000-4,600 meters as a new benchmark for large-scale clean energy integrated development.
• Daofu Pumped Storage (道孚抽蓄) World's highest altitude large-scale pumped storage station at 4,300 meters with 2.1 million kilowatt capacity, the largest pumped storage project in Sichuan Province.
• Kara Hydropower Station (卡拉水电站) Seventh-tier hydropower station in middle Yalong River development, with 1.02 million kilowatt installed capacity, featuring full lifecycle BIM+ digital-intelligent application awarded first prize in national BIM competition.
• Yangfanggou Hydropower Station (杨房沟水电站) China's first million-kilowatt large hydropower project built under EPC (Design-Construction Integration) model, marking a milestone in hydropower engineering management reform.
• Mengdigou Hydropower Station (孟底沟水电站) Fifth-tier station in middle Yalong River development, currently China's largest under-construction hydropower station with 2.4 million kilowatt installed capacity using four 600,000-kilowatt turbine units.
• Yagen 1 Hydropower Station (牙根一级水电站) Second-tier station in middle Yalong River development, with 300,000 kilowatt installed capacity using three 100,000-kilowatt axial flow turbine units.
• Zhalashan Photovoltaic (扎拉山光伏) Sichuan Province's largest new energy project with 1.17 million kilowatt installed capacity, located at altitudes of 3,200-4,200 meters.
• Yalong River Basin Water-Wind-Solar Integrated Clean Renewable Energy Demonstration Base (雅砻江流域水风光一体化绿色清洁可再生能源示范基地) Comprehensive water-wind-solar integrated clean energy demonstration base leveraging three major regulatory reservoirs with 14.84 billion cubic meters of regulated storage for optimal complementary power generation across hydropower, wind, and solar resources.
• Mianning New Energy (冕宁新能源) - Sichuan's First Agricultural-Photovoltaic Complementary Project (四川省第一个农光互补光伏发电项目) Sichuan Province's first agricultural-photovoltaic complementary power generation project, combining solar power generation with agricultural land use.
• Mao Niushan Wind Power (牦牛山风电) - Largest Wind Power Project in Sichuan-Chongqing Region Largest wind power project in the Sichuan-Chongqing region, with installed capacity of 600,000 kilowatts located at high altitudes of 2,500-4,000 meters.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ertan Hydropower Station cumulative power generation exceeded 400 billion kWh
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered strategic and core.

• Jinping Deep Underground Frontier Science and Dark Matter Key Laboratory of Sichuan ProvincestrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 April 2025Operates research laboratory at Jinping Hydropower Station for deep underground science research including dark matter detection, neutrino detection, deep rock mechanics, and deep underground medicine studies.
• PowerChina Chengdu Engineering Corporation (中国电建集团成都勘测设计研究院有限公司)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 17 June 2022Provides environmental impact assessment services for hydropower projects including Yagen Secondary Hydropower Station. Conducts environmental studies and assessments for project development.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• China Power International Development Limited: Hong Kong-listed subsidiary of State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) with diversified coal, hydro, wind, and solar generation across China. Comparable as a major Chinese SOE integrated power producer with hydropower exposure, but operates a broader portfolio.
• CGN Power Co., Ltd. Chinese state-owned nuclear power operator (CGN) actively expanding into wind, solar, and pumped storage. Comparable as a SOE-backed clean energy utility investing in dispatchable renewables, though core competency is nuclear rather than hydropower.
• SDIC Power Holdings Co., Ltd. Controlling shareholder (52% stake) of Yalong River Hydropower and broader power generation portfolio across hydro, wind, and solar. Direct corporate parent and the most structurally linked entity, but operates a wider portfolio beyond the Yalong River basin.
• Huaneng Power International, Inc. Major Chinese state-owned power utility with significant hydropower assets on the Lancang River and broader thermal/renewables portfolio. Comparable as a top-tier Chinese SOE power generator, but does not specialize in single-basin hydropower development.

Direct peers

• China Three Gorges Corporation: China's largest hydropower operator, controlling the Three Gorges Dam and other major cascade projects on the Yangtze. Directly comparable as a state-owned hydropower developer with national strategic mandate, multi-decade project pipeline, and integrated renewable energy expansion strategy.
• Hydro-Quebec: One of the world's largest hydropower generators with ~36 GW of installed capacity, large reservoir storage, and integrated renewable operations. Direct peer as a large-scale integrated hydroelectric utility with significant reservoir cascade regulation and clean energy mandate.
• China Yangtze Power Co., Ltd. Listed subsidiary of China Three Gorges Corporation, operating Three Gorges, Gezhouba, Wudongde, and Baihetan hydropower stations. Direct peer as a large-scale Chinese hydropower operator with multi-GW reservoir-based generation and similar SOE backing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yalong-river-hydropower-development-company-ltd-

Compliance20 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Yalong River Hydropower Development Company, Ltd.