The Yingxiuwan Hydropower Station, destroyed in the catastrophic May 12 earthquake in Sichuan Province last year, resumed operation on Tuesday after being rebuilt by the Chinese People's Armed Police Corps (PAPC).

All three generator units restarted and supplied electricity to the provincial grid, according to Lin Youhan, head of the No.3 Division of the PAPC's hydraulic engineering unit.

The power station, with a total capacity of 135,000 kilowatts, can generate more than 700 million kilowatt-hours of electricity a year. It is expected to play a big role in rebuilding the affected areas, said Lin.

The Yingxiuwan power station is part of the Yingxiuwan General Hydropower Plant, which includes other two hydraulic power stations -- the Yuzixi and Gengda power stations, now being rebuilt by the PAPC unit.

Yingxiu Town, under Wenchuan County, was one of the worst-hit areas in the earthquake that is known by the town at its epicenter, Wenchuan.

A memorial service was held in Wenchuan, attended by President Hu Jintao, to mark the first anniversary of the catastrophe.

(Xinhua News Agency May 12, 2009)