Three Gorges Left Bank
Power Station Retrofit Project
Retrofit & Modernization I China I 14 x 700 MW
NSD Electric delivered the domestic replacement retrofit of the original imported electrical control systems for 14 left-bank 700 MW Francis turbine units at the Three Gorges Dam, completing ful-unite renovation and grid commissioning within 29 months.
Yichang, Hubei
China
14×700 MW
2015-2019
Governor, Excitation, LCU&Auxiliary Control Retrofit
Project Overview
The project was implemented from 2015 to 2019, targeting the domestic replacement retrofit of the original imported electrical control systems for 14 existing 700 MW mixed-fow/Francis units on the left bank of the Three Gorges Dam.
The total retrofitted installed capacity was 9,800 MW. This was the first full-batch domestic replacement of imported governor equipment for giant 700 MW units.
The retrofit solved key challenges including spare-parts discontinuation, insufficient primary frequency regulation, and weak communication compatibility, marking a transition from import dependence to fully domestic autonomous supply.
NSD Scope of Supply
MGC3000
Governor Retrofit
14 MGC3000 giant Francis governor systems, replacing imported governor equipment on the left bank.
IAEC2000 Excitation
Multiple IAEC2000 excitation retrofit packages for unit modernization and localization replacement.
LDS-200 LCU &
Auxiliary Control
Multiple LDS-200 local control and auxiliary control systems for station-side operation and monitoring.
Installation &
Commissioning
Removal of obsolete imported equipment, domestic supply, site installation, commissioning, and phased retrofit.
Technical Highlights
China’s first full-batch replacement of imported governor equipment for 700 MW giant hydropower units.
Primary frequency regulation and load rejection performance exceeded the original imported systems.
Segmented retrofit approach aligned with annual maintenance windows, minimizing impact on normal power dispatch.
Supports complex flood-season head variation, deep grid peak-shaving, and long-term on-site technical service.
Need Support for a Hydropower Retrofit Project?
NSD Electric helps hydropower plants worldwide with governor systems, excitation systems,automation retrofits, spare parts, and technical service to enhance performance and reliability.