156 hours of hard work to restore power generation

At 2:22 pm on August 4th, thunderous applause erupted in the control room of Guoneng Chengde Thermal Power Plant. After 156 hours of continuous hard work, Unit 2, which had been shut down for 6 days due to the flood, was finally connected to the grid! With the restart of the unit, a surge of electricity flowed into the North Hebei power grid, bringing light and coolness to thousands of households.

Bloodshot eyes, mud-stained work clothes, bruises and scars all over the face and hands, all showed the hardship and difficulty of this flood-fighting battle. But on the faces of the employees, there was a mixture of exhilarating cheers and warm smiles, and the joy of victory swept away the fatigue of the days of fighting.

 

 

Consolidating the dams and eliminating hidden dangers

All staff bravely fought against the incoming flood

Looking back on those thrilling 156 hours, every moment left an unforgettable memory.

On July 26, continuous heavy rainfall occurred in Chengde, Hebei. At 7 pm that day, the water level of Miaogong Reservoir in the upper reaches of the Yixun River, a tributary of the Luan River, became critical, and the local government decided to open the floodgates and urgently notified Chengde Thermal Power Plant to prepare for flood control.

After receiving the government's notice, Chengde Thermal Power Plant immediately launched a level-one emergency response for flood prevention. The factory leadership remained on duty and notified employees who were off duty to return to the factory as soon as possible. Employees installed baffles and piled sandbags in areas such as the factory gate, main plant, and pump room, entering a state of full alert to fight against the flood that could strike at any time.

On July 27, due to the passage of a strong flood peak and continuous heavy rainfall, the surging flood uncontrollably overflowed the baffles and sandbags, pouring into Chengde Thermal Power Plant. The power plant is located in Luanhe Town, Shuangluan District, which is relatively low-lying, and floodwater successively poured into the water treatment workshop, circulating water pump room, and rainwater pump room. At the critical moment, Liu Haishan, secretary of the Party committee and chairman of Chengde Thermal Power Plant, quickly convened the on-duty personnel and quickly deployed emergency measures such as factory area blockage and equipment emergency handling, and then picked up tools and rushed into the pouring rain. At the factory gate, he took the lead in jumping into the waist-deep water and led the employees to reinforce the blockage wall.

“Protect people! Protect equipment!” The passionate shouts were particularly clear in the rainstorm. With the piling up of sandbags, the amount of water flowing into the factory area was significantly reduced, and the water level was controlled, buying precious time for the safe shutdown of the main unit and the evacuation of personnel.

Chengde Thermal Power Plant employees are inspecting waterlogged equipment

At 3:30 am on the 28th, the main control DCS alarms flashed frequently, and the situation became extremely urgent. Wang Jianmin, the shift leader, applied to the power grid for an emergency shutdown. After obtaining permission from the power grid, at 3:50 am, the operation personnel manually shut down Unit 1 by breaking the vacuum, engaging the motor, and monitoring the parameters… After a series of emergency operations, the last operating Unit 1 was safely shut down.

Subsequently, the power generation department organized personnel to conduct a comprehensive inspection of all waterlogged equipment in the factory area. At 10 am on the 29th, the waterlogged equipment in the factory was completely powered off and isolated, and the risk of leakage was completely eliminated.

 

All staff participated in the rescue and aided local areas

Working together to safeguard the safety and well-being of the masses

Although the situation had stabilized, this was a critical period for peak summer electricity consumption, and Chengde Thermal Power Plant, as an important power source in the area, must restore the normal operation of the units as soon as possible. The factory Party committee called on all employees to stick to their posts and make every effort to clear the accumulated water in the factory area and repair the equipment, striving to restore the normal operation of the units in the shortest possible time.

At the command, the employees of Chengde Thermal Power Plant quickly sprang into action, demonstrating the loyalty and courage of Guoneng people in the rainstorm and flood.

At 9 am on the 28th, the rainstorm had not stopped, and the roads in Chengde city streets had become torrents. Gao Limin, a maintenance worker in the turbine workshop who was off duty, was stepping hard on the accelerator, racing against time to get to the factory area. After receiving the news of the flood discharge, this 54-year-old veteran party member immediately called the on-duty personnel: “Move the welding machine and the welding rods from the bottom of my cabinet to a high place!” 3 kilometers away from the factory area, the vehicle was stopped by the accumulated water, so he abandoned the vehicle and walked on foot, heading towards the factory area against the accumulated water. The water was getting higher and higher, and in the deeper water near the factory area, the accumulated water had reached the chest of this 1.8-meter-tall man. After a long journey to the factory area, Gao Limin quickly joined the work of transporting flood prevention materials.

At the same time, employees who were on vacation at home gathered from all directions through the water, like scattered sparks converging into flames, illuminating the night sky of the factory area. By 6 pm on the 28th, more than 100 employees had arrived at the scene in the rain and accumulated water to participate in the flood control and rescue work.

At 2 am on the 29th, Liu Haishan, who was leading the employees in flood control and rescue, received a call for help from the Shuangluan District government: “The situation at Luanhe Bridge is critical, please send immediate support!” At this time, the fourth flood peak was passing, and the flood was approaching the Luanhe Bridge with thunderous force, and it could break out of the river channel at any time, seriously threatening the lives and property of nearby residents.

Safeguarding the safety and well-being of the people is the unshirkable responsibility of Guoneng people. Liu Haishan quickly arranged for six employees, including Liu Jungang and Li Sen, to put on life jackets, carry sandbags and other rescue materials, and drive to Luanhe Bridge for support. Upon arriving at the scene, they fought side by side with the local flood prevention team, passing sandbags as quickly as possible. The barrier outside the water barrier was increasing visibly, and everyone fought until dawn, finally eliminating the threat of the flood to the bridge.

Chengde Thermal Power Plant employees wading through water for rescue operations

At this time, the accumulated water outside the main plant building of Chengde Thermal Power Plant had reached 1.3 meters, and more than ten employees were trapped inside. The accumulated water was still rising, and it could threaten the safety of the main equipment at any time. Even more troublesome was that the factory lacked water transportation equipment, and it was impossible to organize personnel evacuation in time, making the rescue situation extremely serious.

 

Support from all sides, continuous efforts

Winning consecutive battles and achieving unit production resumption

On the morning of July 28, while Chengde Thermal Power Plant was working hard to deal with the emergency, Guodian Power quickly held a video conference on flood control and disposal, calling on surrounding power plants to provide full support. At the same time, Guodian Power's procurement department opened a green channel to quickly prepare rescue equipment such as kayaks and water pumps to be transported to Chengde Thermal Power Plant. Units such as Langfang Thermal Power Plant, Qinhuangdao Company, Datong Company, Sanhe Company, Jingran Thermal Power Plant, Low-Carbon Technology, Suizhong Company, and Datong Hudong Company all offered assistance. Various units quickly assembled personnel to carry out support work at Chengde Thermal Power Plant, and experts from the North Hebei Dispatching Center also provided technical guidance and support for network-related equipment.

Scenes of Chengde Thermal Power Plant after being hit by floods

On the morning of the 28th, the first batch of rescue teams arrived at Chengde Thermal Power Plant after overcoming obstacles. The moment the rescue team's car doors opened, Lei Haitao, the maintenance team leader of the plant, felt his eyes well up. "When I saw my colleagues from brother units jump out of the car, I felt particularly relieved." At 7:20 pm that day, 7 kayaks were delivered to the plant area. At dawn on the 29th, 7 kayaks broke through the floodwaters, carrying flood prevention materials and rescue personnel to the main plant building, successfully evacuating trapped personnel. The rescue technical force quickly checked the damage to electrical equipment and built temporary power lines for the subsequent restart of the units.

As time went on, rescue materials filled with brotherly affection poured in from all directions. 64 technicians arrived successively within 100 hours, more than 2,000 pieces of materials such as insulated boots, submersible pumps, and inverters arrived at the plant overnight, and rescue materials such as pure water, bread, instant noodles, and rain boots were continuously delivered. 56 key spare parts were on their way to the scene.

On the morning of the 30th, good news came from the rainwater pump room of Chengde Thermal Power Plant. "Thanks to the diesel generators and water pumps supported by brother units, the water pumping efficiency has been greatly improved, and the water level in the plant area has quickly dropped!" Zhang Tie, a boiler workshop party member, had red and teary eyes. This shift leader, who had been working barefoot for three days and nights, had feet that were swollen and white from soaking. Without water, electricity, or internet, he had lost contact with his family. After the repair situation eased, he eagerly plugged his phone's charging cable into a power bank provided by a colleague and called the number he was worried about. At this time, in the mud-splattered cable trench, supporting experts were kneeling on the ground connecting lines, mud and water flowing down the brim of their safety helmets into their necks and soaking their work clothes, yet they kept staring at the fluctuating numbers on the multimeter. Each connection was crucial in the countdown to restarting the power.

Chengde Thermal Power Plant employees cleaning up the silt

On July 31, most of the accumulated water in the plant area had been drained, but 10 centimeters of silt remained. The weather had cleared up, and the temperature was over 30 degrees Celsius, with the silt emitting a pungent smell. "One, two, push!" Rescue personnel, wading through the silt, their shouts conveying their high spirits. The party assault team, stepping on decaying debris, used shovels to scoop the silt into the sewers. Many people's feet were blistered. The roar of excavators, the friction of shovels against the ground, the sound of submersible pumps, and the hissing of disinfectant spray formed an inspiring symphony of silt removal and drainage in the plant area. On August 2, the silt in the plant area was completely removed, clearing a path to the core area for resumption of production.

While the silt removal was proceeding smoothly, good news also came from the repair battlefield, and the restoration of various systems proceeded in an orderly manner. On August 1, the dust removal B transformer of unit 3 was successfully energized; 8 motors, including the chemical high-pressure pump motor, entered the drying and cleaning process; a large number of water pump bearings were cleaned and oiled; debris was removed from the condenser water chamber of unit 2; and the moving blade actuator and terminal block of the induced draft fan of boiler 3 were replaced.

156 hours later, at 2 pm on August 4, a loud victory announcement came from the walkie-talkie of the emergency and production resumption command center: "Unit 2 of Chengde Thermal Power Plant has been successfully energized! "

After a brief moment of jubilation, the increasingly courageous rescue team quickly returned to their posts. The sounds of turning wrenches, equipment debugging, and commands for grid connection intertwined into a new busy symphony.