KUNMING -- A new mega hydropower station in China has started to store water in its dam, preparing to begin generating electricity in July.

Baihetan on the Jinsha River, the upper section of the Yangtze, straddles the southwest provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan.

With a total installed capacity of 16 million kilowatts, it is the second-largest hydropower station in China in terms of installed capacity, second only to the Three Gorges Dam project in the central province of Hubei. The project has been undertaken by the China Three Gorges Corporation.

The first batch of Baihetan's generating units will go into operation in July 2021, and all units are expected to be operational by July 2022.