Sup'ung Dam

A big wall sits on a river. It is called the Sup'ung Dam. It sits between two lands. These lands are China and North Korea. This wall holds back a lake. The water helps make power. This power is shared by both lands. Many people worked to build it. It was once the largest in Asia.

Floods have hurt the wall before. Workers have fixed it many times. It still makes power today.

The Sup'ung Dam is a giant wall on the Yalu River. It sits on the border of China and North Korea. People built it between 1937 and 1943. It is a gravity dam. This means its heavy weight holds back the water. The dam creates a big lake called Supung Lake.

This dam makes electricity. It uses a hydroelectric power station. This is a place that turns moving water into power. When it was finished, it was the largest dam in Asia. It was also the third largest power station in the world. Today, the main station makes 630 MW of power. This power is shared by China and North Korea.

The dam has a long history. During the Korean War, planes bombed the power station. They did this three times to stop the power. Later, the Soviet Union took three generators away. They moved them to a dam in Kazakhstan. Workers fixed the dam many times after floods. China also built a new power station nearby in the 1980s. The dam still works well today.

The Sup'ung Dam is a huge structure on the Yalu River. It sits right on the border of China and North Korea. This wall is a gravity dam. A gravity dam uses its own heavy weight to hold back water. Behind the dam, a large reservoir called Supung Lake forms. This lake stores water to help make power. The dam is very important for the region. It even appears on the national emblem of North Korea.

This dam works by using a hydroelectric power station. This station turns moving water into electricity. The main station has a capacity of 630 MW. This means it can make a large amount of power. The electricity is shared evenly between China and North Korea.

The dam also uses Francis turbine-generators to make this energy. These machines use the water to spin and create power. China even built a second station nearby in the 1980s. This smaller station uses two 67.5 MW generators.

Construction of the dam began in 1937. The Yalu Hydroelectric Company started the work during a time of Japanese rule. A railway opened in 1939 to help move supplies.

By 1941, two 100 MW generators were working. The emperor of Manchukuo, Puyi, even visited the site. The dam was finished in 1943. At that time, it was the largest dam in all of Asia. It was also the third largest power station in the whole world.

The dam has survived many hard times. After World War II, the Soviet Union moved three generators to Kazakhstan. These were later brought back in the 1950s. During the Korean War, the power station was bombed three times. Planes dropped 90 tons of munitions in June 1952. This attack destroyed the power station but left the dam standing. Floods in 1946 also damaged the spillway. A spillway is a path that lets extra water flow safely past the dam.

Today, the dam is still a very active place. It has gone through many repairs and renovations. Between 2009 and 2011, workers improved the spillways. This project cost US$24.5 million. The State Grid Corporation of China paid for these updates. The total power capacity of all the stations is now 765 MW. The dam remains the largest power station on the Yalu River. It shows how humans can use rivers to power their homes.

The Sup'ung Dam is a massive concrete gravity dam. It sits on the Yalu River between China and North Korea. Specifically, it is located between Kuandian Manchu Autonomous County in China and Sakju County in North Korea. A gravity dam is a structure that uses its own immense weight to hold back water. Behind the dam, a large reservoir called Supung Lake has formed. This reservoir serves as a storage area for water used in energy production. The dam is so significant that it is featured on the national emblem of North Korea.

This dam functions as a hydroelectric power station. It converts the energy of flowing water into electricity. The main station at the base of the dam uses six Francis turbine-generators. These are specialized machines that use water to create power. Each of these six generators has a capacity of 105 MW. The water provides an average hydraulic head of 30 meters. A hydraulic head is the vertical distance the water falls to create energy. This process allows the dam to generate a massive amount of electricity for the region.

The dam system includes several distinct parts and types of power generation. The primary power station has a capacity of 630 MW. This electricity is shared evenly between China and North Korea. In 1983, China began building an additional power station just downstream on the Chinese side. This second station uses two 67.5 MW Francis turbine generators. The first was commissioned in 1987, and the second followed in 1988. When you combine both stations, the total installed capacity is 765 MW.

The history of the dam began in 1937. During this time, Japan was colonizing Korea. The Yalu Hydroelectric Company was established to begin construction. In 1939, the Pyeongbuk Railway opened a rail line to help move supplies. By 1941, two 100 MW generators were operational. The emperor of Manchukuo, Puyi, even visited the site during this period. Construction was completed in 1943. At that time, it was the largest dam in Asia and the third-largest hydroelectric power station in the world.

The dam has faced many historical challenges. After World War II, the Soviet Union occupied the area in 1947. They dismantled three of the seven generators and moved them to the Irtysh River dam in Kazakhstan. These generators were eventually re-installed during the 1950s. During the Korean War, the United Nations Command targeted the dam three times. They wanted to disrupt the power supply for North Korea. On June 23 and 24, 1952, 250 bombers and fighters dropped 90 tons of munitions. This attack destroyed the power station but left the dam itself intact.

Maintenance and repairs have been necessary throughout its life. Flooding in 1946 damaged the stilling basin and destroyed the spillway. A spillway is a structure used to release extra water safely. Repairs were made in 1947 and again between 1949 and 1950. From 1955 to 1958, permanent post-war repairs were completed. These repairs included replacing the generators removed by the Soviets. The most recent major renovation took place between 2009 and 2011. This project cost US$24.5 million and was funded by the State Grid Corporation of China.

The engineering of the dam is quite complex. The main spillway consists of 26 sluice gates. These gates can discharge a maximum of 5,000 cubic meters per second. There is also an auxiliary spillway to the north. This one has 16 sluice gates with a capacity of 2,500 cubic meters per second. The reservoir has a total capacity of 2,150 million cubic meters. Of that amount, 1,200 million cubic meters is useful for generating power. The dam remains the largest hydroelectric power station on the Yalu River today.