Xiluodu Dam – China’s Second-Largest Hydroelectric Power Station

Published on July 23, 2025 by Kuldeep Lodhi

The Mighty Xiluodu Dam: Powering Progress Quietly

Ever heard of the Xiluodu Dam? It’s not as famous as the Three Gorges, but it's honestly just as fascinating. Tucked away along the Jinsha River—upstream on the Yangtze—it stands tall and proud, doing a lot more than just generating electricity.

Finished back in 2013, this dam rises about 285.5 meters, which is… massive. It’s the second-largest hydroelectric plant in China, and believe it or not, it cranks out around 13,860 megawatts of clean power. That’s enough to keep entire regions lit up.

But here’s the thing—it’s not only about power.

At a Glance: What Makes Xiluodu Stand Out

Location: Jinsha River, between Sichuan and Yunnan provinces
Design: Double-curved arch dam
Height: 285.5 meters (937 feet)
Output: Roughly 13,860 MW of electricity
National Rank: China’s second-largest hydropower project, after the Three Gorges Dam

So What’s Special About It? First off, the dam sits in a super narrow, steep gorge. Building something of this scale there? Not an easy task. But engineers pulled it off with a clever double-curved arch design, which basically means the structure can take on a crazy amount of water pressure without breaking a sweat.

It’s sturdy, efficient, and pretty beautiful in a raw industrial kind of way.

It’s Doing More Than You Think:-

Most people see a dam and think “electricity,” and yeah—it does that. But the Xiluodu Dam also:

Controls floods during heavy rains
Stores water for cities and farms when there’s a drought
Manages sediment in the river so it doesn’t mess up things downstream
It’s quietly working behind the scenes, helping out in ways we don’t usually notice.

Why It Matters Today

In a world that’s (finally) paying attention to climate change, projects like this matter more than ever. By replacing coal-powered plants, Xiluodu is actually helping to cut down pollution and move China closer to a greener energy future.