Hubei Huanglongtan Hydropower Plant

Hubei Huanglongtan Hydropower Plant

Hubei Huanglongtan Hydropower Plant serves as a patriotic education base.

Hubei Huanglongtan Hydropower Plant (hereinafter referred to as Huanglongtan Plant) is situated at the exit of a canyon four kilometers west of Huanglong Town on the eastern foothills of the Qinling Mountains, adjacent to the Xiangyu Railway and National Highway 316. The plant is located on the lower reaches of the Du River, the largest tributary of the Han River, about 40 kilometers from the Danjiangkou Reservoir, the water source of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, and is a radiant gem of hydropower on the Du River.

Huanglongtan Plant is currently the only power plant directly under State Grid Corporation of China’s Hubei Electric Power Company, classified as a large-scale Type I enterprise. Primarily focused on power generation, it has an installed capacity of 510,000 kilowatts, making it the largest hydropower station in the Du River basin. It also provides integrated functions such as urban water supply, flood control, navigation, and aquaculture. The plant mainly undertakes peak shaving, frequency regulation, and emergency standby tasks for the Hubei power grid. As of March 2011, it had generated a cumulative total of 26 billion kilowatt-hours, making significant contributions to Hubei’s power industry and the economic and social development of Shiyan City.

I. Glorious Years – Huanglongtan Plant Grows Together with the Auto City

The Huanglongtan Plant project was one of the important “Third Front Projects.” Since its commencement, over forty years have passed. Forty years ago, the plant was planned, designed, and constructed simultaneously with the Second Automobile Works and the Xiangyu Electrified Railway. Over the past four decades, the plant has grown alongside the auto city, witnessing the development journey of Shiyan City.

Geological surveys for the Huanglongtan Plant project began in 1959, with the preliminary design report completed in 1967. In 1968, the project was jointly reviewed and approved by the Ministry of Water Resources and the People’s Government of Hubei Province. On April 2, 1969, construction officially commenced with an investment of 173 million yuan, undertaken by the 10th Bureau of Water Conservancy and Hydropower. After five years of hard work, in May and June 1974, two hydroelectric generating units with an installed capacity of 75,000 kilowatts were successively put into operation. By the end of 1976, the dam was completed, and the entire project was finalized.

In January 1993, Huanglongtan Plant began upgrading the capacity of Units 1 and 2, increasing their installed capacity to 85,000 kilowatts. In March 1998, the plant completed the transformation of its computer monitoring system, becoming one of the first hydropower plants in the province to achieve unattended (or minimally attended) operation.

In March 2002, the expansion project of Huanglongtan Plant was approved by the State Council for its feasibility study report. On June 28, the expansion project with a total investment of 583 million yuan commenced. In June and August 2005, two generating units with an installed capacity of 150,000 kilowatts were successively put into operation, bringing the plant’s total installed capacity to 510,000 kilowatts.

II. “Four Excellences” First-Class – The “Shared Dream” of Huanglongtan People

In September 2007, Huanglongtan Plant proposed the goal of building a first-class hydropower plant characterized by “refined management, superior technology, a lean workforce, and profound culture” during its Eighth Party Congress. In February 2011, the “12th Five-Year Plan” development goal of initially establishing a “Four Excellences” first-class enterprise by 2015 was further clarified.

To realize this dream, Huanglongtan people broke away from traditional thinking, conducted research at advanced hydropower plants in Central China, East China, Northwest China, and Northeast China, and adopted the strengths of others to develop their own high-standard management systems, workflows, and operational norms. In May 2001, the plant obtained ISO9001:2000 quality management system certification, becoming one of the few domestic and the first provincial hydropower plants to achieve this. In February 2004, the plant began implementing a performance management system, which now includes four major systems: employee performance, middle management performance, team performance, and unit performance, achieving a comprehensive, all-staff, and full-process performance management system. From completing the information management (MIS system) and office automation system in 2001 to the present, the plant has developed production management systems, collaborative office systems, and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. The plant has evolved from paperless operations to information-based and intensive management, continuously improving its operational and production management standards on the path to becoming a top-tier hydropower plant nationwide.

III. National Records – Huanglongtan People’s Achievements in Safe Production

During the construction period of Huanglongtan Plant, the era was marked by the slogan “Go all out, aim high, and build socialism with greater, faster, better, and more economical results.” The project exhibited the typical characteristics of “designing while modifying and constructing,” leaving behind many issues and hidden dangers. Additionally, in terms of equipment, the plant has both mechanical and electrical equipment from the 1960s and 1970s and the most advanced automated equipment today. The infrastructure for safe production was relatively poor, with complex equipment conditions, numerous challenges, and significant difficulties.

Facing these issues, Huanglongtan people used their wisdom and hard work to vigorously promote technological innovation, continuously resolving and eliminating problems and hidden dangers, ensuring a long-term safe production record. In 1982, the Ministry of Water Resources designated Huanglongtan Plant as a pilot unit to develop the nation’s first automatic hydrological forecasting system. In 1988, the remote sensing system was officially put into use, enabling 24-hour automatic collection and transmission of hydrological and meteorological data, as well as real-time tracking and forecasting functions, with a prediction lead time three to five hours ahead of manual methods. Later, systems such as a meteorological satellite cloud image reception and processing system, industrial television monitoring system, gate automatic control system, reservoir operation data upload system, and comprehensive automated reservoir scheduling were successively established, forming a modern hydrological work platform for the Huanglongtan Reservoir, achieving automated reservoir scheduling. The hydrological forecasting system and reservoir scheduling automation system are currently among the best in the nation.

Huanglongtan people adhere to the principle of “safety first, prevention foremost,” with a sense of responsibility that is “as cautious as walking on thin ice, as if facing a deep abyss, and as if sitting on pins and needles.” They uphold the management philosophy of “assigning responsibility to individuals, implementing measures in place, and supervising every position,” achieving remarkable results in safe production. On May 30, 2000, the plant achieved 3,808 days of safe operation, setting the highest record for safe operation among hydropower plants with a capacity of over 100,000 kilowatts in China. In 2004, it reached 4,592 days of safe operation, breaking its own national record. As of May 2011, the plant had maintained continuous safe operation for 3,231 days. As of December 2010, the dam had achieved 30 consecutive years of safe flood control.

IV. The “Four-Four” Team – Huanglongtan People’s Talent-Driven Enterprise Philosophy

Huanglongtan Plant adheres to the philosophy of “talent-driven enterprise,” forming a “Four-Four” team-building model. This includes building a “Four-Good” leadership team that is “politically sound, performs well in operations, works collaboratively, and maintains a good style and image”; a “Four-First” middle management team that is “first in diligent learning and thinking, strict in refined management, excellent in work performance, and clean in conduct”; a “Four-Excellent” party member team that is “excellent in political quality, job skills, work performance, and public evaluation”; and a “Four-First-Class” employee team that is “first-class in professional ethics, business skills, work style, and job performance.” The “Four-Four” team-building model complements each other, forming professional teams at different levels within Huanglongtan Plant, providing strong talent assurance for the plant’s scientific development.

V. Huanglong Emerges from the Rapids – Huanglongtan People’s Pioneering Development Belief

The pioneering Huanglongtan people began exploring new development areas as early as the 1980s, forming a diversified development pattern across multiple fields, including hydropower commercial operation and maintenance, hydropower simulation training, urban water supply, real estate, property management, hotel catering, tourism, and technology information. The Huanglongtan people have also transformed from working and living “within the walls” to competing in the tide of the market economy.

In 2001, Huanglongtan Plant entered the international commercial operation field of hydropower plants, successfully undertaking and completing a 10-year operation and maintenance contract for Cambodia’s Kirirom I Hydropower Station. Since 2005, it has successively conducted commercial maintenance and operation for the Nanjiang Xiakou Hydropower Plant, Yunxi Sunjiatan Hydropower Plant, Yunxi Doulingzi Hydropower Plant, Zhushan Songshuling Hydropower Plant, Xiangfan Tail Hydropower Plant, Huanggang Luotian Tian Tang Pumped Storage Hydropower Plant, Zhuxi Qinping Hydropower Station, Shennongjia Yuquanhe I Hydropower Station, and Sichuan Longfeng Hydropower Plant, exporting its management experience and models. The plant has also provided hydropower simulation training for organizations such as Tibet’s Yamdrok Lake, Guodian Changyuan, Hubei Energy, and Three Gorges University.

The Huanglongtan Hydropower Industrial Ecological Park is a national AAA-level scenic tourist area, an industrial tourism demonstration site in Hubei Province, a science education base in Hubei and Shiyan cities, a patriotic education base in Shiyan City (with approval as a provincial base pending), and a civilized tourism scenic area in Shiyan City. The park features attractions such as the Huanglongtan Reservoir, Cherry Blossom Avenue, Bayberry Avenue, Bonsai Garden, Red Maple Forest, Ginkgo Garden, and Cherry Orchard. It also includes hydropower industrial science education facilities such as a corporate culture exhibition hall, hydropower science exhibition hall, Huanglongtan Dam, power generation plant, and substations. Leisure facilities like sports fields, tennis courts, basketball courts, gymnasiums, and adventure bases, as well as service facilities for tourism, dining, and accommodation, make it a microcosm of Shiyan City’s beautiful mountains, waters, and industries, serving as an ideal destination for patriotic education and leisure for citizens and students.

VI. A Garden of Blooming Flowers – Huanglongtan People’s Cultural Prosperity

Huanglongtan Plant is committed to building a unified and outstanding corporate culture under the leadership of State Grid Corporation of China, centered on the core values of “integrity, responsibility, innovation, and dedication,” and guided by the corporate spirit of “striving to surpass and pursuing excellence.” It has established a corporate culture exhibition hall, cultural corridors, cultural walls, and cultural roads, creating a rich corporate culture atmosphere. The plant publishes an internal magazine, *Huanglongtan*, to build a spiritual home for employees and serve as a calling card for cultural exchange within and outside the industry. The plant’s homepage, display windows, bulletin boards, and LED screens also serve as important platforms for cultural exchange and promotion. Additionally, the plant has long upheld themed reading activities for cadres, young workers, and female workers, creating amateur learning platforms such as “Kowloon Night Classes,” “Team Leader Classes,” “Weekend Classes,” and “Finance Classes.” The “scholarly” atmosphere at Huanglongtan is growing stronger, with a trend of enthusiastic reading and learning among employees, producing numerous exemplary talents.

The development of corporate culture has yielded fruitful results in civilization construction. Huanglongtan Plant has been awarded the title of “Civilized Unit of Hubei Electric Power Company” for 27 consecutive years, “Best Civilized Unit of Hubei Province” for five consecutive terms, and “Best Civilized Unit of Shiyan City” for six consecutive terms. It has also received provincial and ministerial-level honors such as “National Advanced Unit in Spiritual Civilization Construction,” “National ‘Ankang Cup’ Competition Winning Unit,” “National Model Workers’ Home,” “National Advanced Unit in Factory Affairs Disclosure and Democratic Management,” State Grid Corporation of China’s “Civilized Unit,” Hubei Province’s “May 1st Labor Certificate,” and Central China Power Grid Company’s “Advanced Unit in Safe Production.”

Civilization construction is upgraded, and scientific development writes a new chapter. Looking back, the Huanglongtan people have remained resolute and forged ahead on the path of civilization construction, achieving commendable results. Looking forward, under the guidance of the goal to become a “National Civilized Unit,” civilization construction will inject greater vitality into the reform and development of Huanglongtan Plant, writing new chapters in the journey of the plant’s scientific development.