Longyangxia Reservoir 龙羊峡水库

About Longyangxia Reservoir

The broad reservoir contrasts with the narrower canyon and nearby eroded earth formations. A visit can combine an authorised water or shore viewpoint with the town and earth-forest area, but the power station’s operational spaces should not be treated as ordinary tourist access.

The dam was designed by the Northwest Survey and Design Institute of the Ministry of Water Resources and Electric Power and built by the Fourth Hydropower Bureau, with electromechanical equipment from the Dongfang Electric Machinery Factory. Preparatory work began in February 1976, the diversion tunnel started construction in December 1977, and construction formally began in July 1978. New geological findings in 1979 required all generating units to be placed behind the dam, and the river was closed on 29 December 1979. In mid-September 1981 the site experienced a flood with a return period of about 150 years. The first generating unit began operation in 1987.

Longyangxia is China's second-largest reservoir by storage capacity, after the Three Gorges Reservoir, and its power station was the first large cascade hydropower station on the upper Yellow River. Besides generating electricity, it provides flood control, ice control, irrigation, aquaculture and tourism benefits. The reservoir first reached its normal storage water level of 2,600 metres in November 2018, thirty-two years after its first generating unit began operating in 1987.

What to look for

• The reservoir contrasts with the narrow gorge landscape.
• Hydropower history explains the development of Longyangxia town.
• The nearby earth forest adds a different erosion landscape.

Location & getting there

Getting to Longyangxia Reservoir

Use Longyangxia town in Gonghe County as the local road-arrival base. Select the current scenic reception, shore viewpoint or earth-forest entrance, and confirm any boat service separately.