Primary work starts at Baihetan dam

Construction started on Thursday on what is to be the world's second-largest hydropower project, the Baihetan hydropower station, which is expected to enter operation by 2022.

It will be second only to the Three Gorges dam in terms of total installed capacity, weighing in at 16 gigawatts of capacity and an average annual output of more than 62 billion kilowatt-hours, according to China Three Gorges Corp, the dam's builder.

After six years of preliminary construction, the site is ready for the main project work, including building the dam and excavating underground tunnels, the builder said on Thursday.