Beijing, Jul 17 (IANS): China's second-largest hydropower station turned operational earlier this week with its first power generating unit officially starting work after completing a three-day test run.

The unit of Xiluodu hydropower station is located on the lower reach of Jinsha river between southwest China's Leibo county in Sichuan Province and Yongshan county in Yunnan province, Xinhua reported.

The first generator unit "13F" went into formal operation Monday after a three-day trial. The hydropower plant will be the second largest one ranking only second to the Three Gorges when all of its 18 units go into operation in 2014.

The No. 13 power generating unit, having a capacity of 770,000 kw at the Xiluodu hydropower station, started providing electricity to the China Southern Power Grid, its operator China Three Gorges Corporation said in a statement.

With a total generating capacity of 13.86 gigawatts, the station is the world's third-largest after the Three Gorges and Itaipu hydroelectric projects.

Construction of the Xiluodu hydropower station, located in the Jinsha river, a major headstream of the Yangtze in southwestern Yunnan and Sichuan provinces, started in 2005. It is expected to be completed in 2015 with 18 power generating units.