On January 8, 2018, the annual National Science and Technology Award Ceremony was held in Beijing. The Award is the highest honor of science and technology circles in China. Party and state leaders Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Zhang Gaoli and Wang Huning attended the Ceremony and present the awards for the representatives. The key technology of Jinping II ultra-deep buried and large headrace tunnel power generation project jointly completed by Yalong River Hydropower Development Company, Ltd. and PowerChina Huadong won the second prize of 2017 National Prize for Progress in Science and Technology, and Zhang Chunsheng, president of PowerChina Huadong, attended the Ceremony as the person-in-charge of the project. Before the Ceremony, he was warmly received by President Xi Jinping with handshakes and group photos.

Jinping II Hydropower Station is located at the bend of Jinping on the Yalong River in Sichuan Province, with an installed capacity of 4.8 million kW. It is a key strategic project for West-East power transmission project and plays an important role in promoting the development of the west regions and optimizing the power supply structure. The power station utilizes 4 largest headrace tunnels with the deepest buried depth and the largest scale in the world. The tunnels are straight and cut through the complicated geological conditions of over 2,000 m burial depth in the Yalong River. It is a water diversion type power station with the largest installed capacity and complicated technologies in China. The technological achievements greatly promoted the scientific and technological progress in this field and were written into the “13^th Five-year Plan for Electric Power Development” as a successful example of technological breakthroughs, thus guiding and demonstrating China’s deep underground construction.