The home-grown turbine, with a maximum capacity of 500 megawatts, has the world’s largest single-unit capacity, according to the report on Wednesday. Two turbines will be installed at the station.
The 80-tonne turbine left its developer plant at Harbin Electric Machinery Company in northeast China on Wednesday after four years of design and testing.
The Datang Zala Hydropower Station is located on the Yuqu River, a tributary of the Nu River, which flows from southwest China through Yunnan province to eastern Myanmar and empties into the Andaman Sea.
The turbine is made of martensitic steel, a type of stainless steel known for its durability, strength and corrosion resistance. It has 21 water buckets and an outer diameter measuring 6.23 metres (20 feet).
Science and Technology Daily called the turbine the “heart” of the hydropower unit.
