Flood Season Drills Sharpen Preparedness Full Completion of the 2026 Comprehens...

This June, the Yangtze River Basin entered the major flood period, coinciding with the 25th National "Work Safety Month" in China. To fully implement General Secretary XI Jinping's important instructions on flood prevention and drought relief, CYPC organized its 2026 Comprehensive Flood Emergency Drills throughout the World's Largest Clean Energy Corridor. This series of drills closely targeted the characteristics of flood-season disasters, focused on extreme-hazard response, and integrated smart technologies, thus thoroughly testing and upgrading comprehensive capabilities in flood emergency response, government-enterprise coordination, and multi-hazard management, ultimately reinforcing flood defenses along the Yangtze River Basin.

Notably, the Comprehensive flood emergency drill of Three Gorges Hydropower Plant marked the first time that a drill by China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG) was included in the National Energy Administration's annual emergency drill program. The drill was led by HE Hongxin, Assistant President of CTG and Secretary of Party Committee and Vice Chairman of CYPC, serving as Chief Commander, with DUAN Kailin, Vice President of CYPC and Director of the Three Gorges Hydropower Plant (TGHPP), acting as On-site Commander. The National Energy Administration designated industry experts to provide on-site guidance, while multiple entities-including the Yichang Emergency Management Bureau, the Three Gorges Dam Area Work Committee, the Water Branch of the Yichang Fire Rescue Detachment, and relevant CTG departments-observed the drill.

Targeting the characteristics of this year's Yangtze flood situation-which has seen early onset, strong momentum, and frequent extreme weather-the TGHPP drill featured two high-risk scenarios: a large-scale blackout and powerhouse flooding. At the same time, the drill was deeply embedded in the intelligent emergency response system, leveraging equipment such as the Maopingxi Drainage Tunnel Inspection Robot, GIS Intelligent Patrol Inspection Robot, Secondary Panel Intelligent Patrol Inspection Robot, and Audio Patrol Inspection System to conduct a comprehensive pre-emptive hazard screening. On top of that, TGHPP harnessed the Video Image AI Service Platform to identify equipment faults in real time and assess environmental risks, significantly improving both the precision of hazard investigation and the speed of emergency response-ultimately ensuring the station's operational safety throughout the flood season with cutting-edge technology.

It is understood that, in addition to the TGHPP, the other five cascade hydropower plants across the World's Largest Clean Energy Corridor, together with the Changlongshan Pumped Storage Power Station, each conducted tailored emergency drills based on their respective geographical locations and operating conditions, adopting multiple innovative measures for the first time-resulting in a remarkable improvement in overall emergency preparedness.

At the Gezhouba Hydropower Plant, the drill utilized the Ge Xiaotun digital avatar for the first time to broadcast safety precautions, introducing a novel approach to public safety education. Meanwhile, a dual-UAV collaborative operation model was deployed for the first time in the fire-response scenario, leveraging new equipment to boost emergency rescue efforts.

At the Xiangjiaba Hydropower Plant, the emergency drill featured a core scenario of joint rescue operations for a large out-of-control vessel. The exercise covered key phases including vessel drift, hazard alerting, on-site control, and coordinated rescue, effectively strengthening multi-party response capabilities for maritime emergencies on the river.

The Xiluodu Hydropower Plant adopted a multi-hazard combined drill model, simulating compound extreme scenarios-including earthquakes, beyond-design floods, equipment failures, and out-of-control vessels-to enable coordinated multi-scenario emergency responses. The Baihetan Hydropower Plant used live-streaming to relay on-site footage in real time, further refining its emergency command and coordination framework for extreme-disaster situations. The Wudongde Hydropower Plant integrated drills with operational improvements, promptly holding a post-drill review to identify gaps in contingency plans in collaboration with local authorities and optimize emergency coordination procedures.

In addition, the Changlongshan Pumped Storage Power Station conducted its first no-notice flood preparedness drill, which randomly covered three scenarios-plant-wide blackout, geological hazards, and flood emergency response-with real-time on-site footage relayed back during the exercise. The unscripted format challenged participating teams to sharpen their on-the-ground decision-making and response skills, delivering a well-rounded test of their emergency readiness.

CYPC will take this series of flood emergency drills as a good opportunity to further strengthen its capabilities in disaster prevention, mitigation, and response, and enhance the effectiveness of emergency handling. We will translate the outcomes of education on fostering a correct approach to performance into concrete actions to safeguard national strategic assets. With an abiding sense of responsibility, we will refine and implement all flood preparedness measures, reinforcing flood defenses and ensuring the long-term stability of the Yangtze River.