China unveils world’s largest hydropower turbine with 500-MW output

China has unveiled the world’s first 500-megawatt (MW) impulse hydropower turbine, developed by Harbin Electric Machinery Company after four years of research and testing. The turbine, measuring about 20 feet (6.23 meters) in diameter and weighing 88 tons, is constructed from martensitic steel known for its strength and corrosion resistance. Designed for the Datang Zala Hydropower Station in Tibet’s Yuqu River basin, the turbine features 21 water ladles and is optimized for the site’s high vertical drop of 671 meters, enabling efficient conversion of water flow kinetic energy into mechanical energy. The advanced design boosts the turbine’s efficiency from 91% to 92.6%, which translates into an additional 190,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity generated daily per unit. The Datang Zala Hydropower Station will install two such turbines, achieving a combined capacity of 1 million kilowatts (1 gigawatt). Once operational,