ABSTRACT
The Jinping hydroelectric power generation plant with a maximum generating capacity of 4400 MW is one of the major hydropower projects in China. The pressure tunnels, which act as waterway towards the power plant, have an excavated span of 12 m and are approximately located at 2000 m depth below the Jinping Mountain surface. The water table is at about 900 m above tunnels. An understanding of the mechanical behavior of the support system and the hydro-mechanical (HM) processes of fractured rock are major challenges when assessing the performance of pressure tunnels under high initial stresses and high water pressures.
