The 2024 Olympic Games 2024 opened on July 26 local time in Paris, with the Olympic rings displayed on the iconic Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower, made up of numerous scattered steel components, weighs 7,300 tons and stands 330 meters tall, making it the tallest building in Paris. Known as the "watchtower of the capital" by the French people, it is also one of France's cultural symbols.

About 8,500 kilometers away from Paris, 16 one-million-kilowatt hydro-generating units, each weighing as much as the Eiffel Tower, have been installed at Baihetan Hydropower Plant (Baihetan HPP), which is located at the border between Ningnan County in Sichuan Province and Qiaojia County in Yunnan Province in China. These generating units, the largest single-unit capacity in the world, are fully developed by China. Each unit stands 50 meters tall and weighs over 8,000 tons.

The one-million-kilowatt hydro-generating units are hailed as the "Mount Everest" of the global hydropower industry. The challenges of developing and installing those units far exceed those of any other units under construction or in operation worldwide. The development of these units is not just a matter of simply scaling up smaller units but involves comprehensive research, development, and application of new materials, technologies, equipment, and processes.

Since 2006, China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG) has collaborated with several domestic organizations to tackle the challenges in developing one-million-kilowatt units. They successfully realized manufacturing, installation, commissioning, and operational launch of these units, marking a leap from "Made in China" to "Created in China" in hydropower technology. This achievement solidified China's position as a global leader in hydropower equipment technology.

"The generating units, each with a capacity of 1 million kilowatts, marks the largest single-unit capacity in the world and represents a major breakthrough in China's high-end equipment manufacturing." said President Xi Jinping in a congratulatory letter on June 28, 2021, to celebrate the commissioning of the first batch of units at Baihetan HPP.

Along the banks of the Seine River, the Eiffel Tower stands tall, witnessing the Olympic Games.

On the Jinsha River, the 16 "super units" roar in unison, continuously producing clean energy.

The 16 "world champions" wish the Olympic athletes success and the creation of new world records in the games.