PowerChina Co issued a report on Saturday night,saying that with regard to the quality and other issues reported by some Chinese media in the course of the construction of the Fujian Yongan Pumped Storage Power Station,the company attaches great importance to the matter and has set up an investigation team.

The announcement came as a news report on November 27 by Economic Information Daily alleged that the lower reservoir project of the Yongan Pumped Storage Power Station now under construction in Sanming,East China’s Fujian Province,has been accused of serious corner-cutting and material reduction during dam construction.

The power station is a key national pumped storage project under China’s 14th Five-Year Plan(2021-25).The project is being constructed by the subsidiaries of PowerChina Co,including Sinohydro Bureau 3 and Sinohydro Bureau 16,per the news report.

According to the news report,hundreds of anchor reinforcement piles intended to stabilize the rock and soil on the dam abutment slopes has“serious quality defects.”

The actual construction length has been significantly reduced,with some piles being less than one-third of the designed length.Even more serious is the fact that the majority of these anchor reinforcement piles were not grouted with cement mortar as required by specifications;instead,the construction team applied a simple surface sealing at the pile openings to deal with inspections,Economic Information Daily reported.

Experts point out that the lower reservoir dam is a critical structure of the Yongan Pumped Storage Power Station,and its quality would impact the safe operation of the power station.The corner-cutting and material reduction during construction could jeopardize the overall safety of the dam,according to Economic Information Daily.

In a response,PowerChina said that the company will conduct a comprehensive investigation and verification together with relevant authorities,and handle the matter in strict accordance with Chinese laws and regulations.The company“sincerely thanks all sectors of society for their oversight,”and the relevant investigation results will be announced in a timely manner.