Hydroelectricity in China

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The Three Gorges Dam is the largest power station (of any kind) in the world by installed capacity, with 22.5 GW. The Dam (2890371280).jpg
The Three Gorges Dam is the largest power station (of any kind) in the world by installed capacity, with 22.5 GW.
Satellite picture of the Longyangxia Dam reservoir and solar power park Longyangxia oli 2017005 lrg.jpg
Satellite picture of the Longyangxia Dam reservoir and solar power park
Three Gorges Dam compared to all other Chinese hydroelectricity production China hydroelectricity production.svg
Three Gorges Dam compared to all other Chinese hydroelectricity production

Hydroelectricity is currently China's largest renewable energy source and the second overall after coal. [1] According to the International Hydropower Association, China is the worlds largest producer of hydroelectricity as of 2021. [2] China's installed hydroelectric capacity in 2021 was 390.9 GW, including 36.4 GW of pumped storage hydroelectricity capacity, up from 233 GW in 2011. [3] [4] That year, hydropower generated 1,300 TWh of power, [5] an increase of 68 TWh over 2018 when hydropower generated 1,232 TWh of power, accounting for roughly 18% of China's total electricity generation. [6] [7] [8]

Contents

Due to China's insufficient reserves of fossil fuels and the government's preference for energy independence, hydropower plays a big part in the energy policy of the country. China's potential hydropower capacity is estimated at up to 400 GW. [9] There is therefore considerable potential for further hydro development. [1]

As of 2015, hydroelectric plants in China had a relatively low productivity with an average capacity factor of 31%, due to seasonal variability of rainfall, rapid construction, and significant energy loss due to need for long transmission lines to connect remote dams in the mountainous south-west to demand in southern China. [1]

Although hydroelectricity represents the largest renewable and low greenhouse gas emissions energy source in the country, the social and environmental impact of dam construction in China has been large, with millions of people forced to relocate and large scale damage to the environment. [10]

Largest hydroelectric plants

Name Chinese name River Years of completion Installed
capacity
(MW) 		Annual
production
(TW-hour) [11] 		Area
flooded
(km2) 		Location Coordinates
Three Gorges Yangtze 200822,50098.8 [12] 1,084
Baihetan Dam Jinsha 202216,00060.24 [13]
Xiluodu Jinsha 2014 [14] 13,860 [15] 55.2
Xiangjiaba Jinsha 2014 [16] 7,750 [17] 30.795.6
Longtan Hongshui 2007/20096,42618.7 [18]
Nuozhadu Mekong 2014 [19] 5,85023.9 [20] 320
Jinping-II Yalong 20144,800
Laxiwa Yellow 20104,200 [21] 10.2
Xiaowan Mekong 20104,200 [22] 19190
Jinping-I Yalong 20143,6001782.5
Ertan Dam Yalong 19993,30017101
Pubugou Dam Dadu 2009/20103,30014.6
Goupitan Dam Wu 2009/20113,000 [23] 9.6794
Guanyinyan Dam Jinsha 2014/20163,00013.62
Gezhouba Dam Yangtze19882,71517.01
Jinanqiao Dam Jinsha 20102,400
Liyuan Dam Jinsha2014/20152,400
Guandi Dam Yalong20132,400

Under construction

Name Chinese name River Expected completion Expected
capacity
(MW) 		Expected
production
(TW-hour) 		Area
flooded
(km2) 		Location Coordinates
Wudongde Dam 乌东德水电站 Jinsha December 202110,200  26°20′02″N102°37′48″E / 26.33389°N 102.63000°E / 26.33389; 102.63000 (Wudongde Dam)
Fengning PS [24] [25] [26] 丰宁抽水蓄能电站3,600 
Hongping PS [27] 洪屏抽水蓄能电站2,400 


Huanggou PS [24] [25] [26] 荒沟抽水蓄能电站1,200 
Hohhot PS [24] [25] [26] 呼和浩特抽水蓄能电站1,200 
Panlong PS [24] [25] [26] 蟠龙抽水蓄能电站1,200 
Shenzhen PS [24] [25] [26] 深圳抽水蓄能电站1,200 
Tianchi PS [24] [25] [26] 天池抽水蓄能电站1,200 
Wendeng PS [24] [25] [26] 文登抽水蓄能电站1,800 

History

The Shilongba Hydropower Station is the first hydroelectric power plant in China. [28] It was built in Yunnan province in 1912, with a capacity of 240 kW. Due to the subsequent period of political and social instability, little additional progress was made in power infrastructure in the country at that time. The total installed capacity before the Japanese occupation was only about 10 MW. During the Japanese occupation several large scale hydroelectric projects were built, and total capacity reached 900 MW. Energy infrastructure however suffered heavy damage during the second World War, and the operational capacity after the war was only about 580 MW. [29]

After the Chinese Communist Revolution of 1949, a program of dam construction was initiated. However, most of these dams were built for irrigation and not intended to produce electricity. Moreover, construction was carried out mostly by unskilled peasants. During this period, the steady supply of cheap domestic coal hindered the development of hydroelectricity. [29] Installed hydroelectric capacity grew somewhat after the 1960s, with plants of growing size and complexity, reaching a total of 20 GW in 1980. [29]

As of 2020, China had more than 150 dams with generating capacity of more than 300 megawatts and installed capacity of 369 gigawatts. [30] : 203 

As of 2021, China operates four of the world's six largest dams. [30] : 201  These include the world's biggest (Three Gorges Dam, with 22.5 gigawatts capacity) and second biggest (Baihetan Dam). [30] : 201 

After completion of the Baihetan Dam in 2021, all planned large scale dams had been completed. [31]

Environmental and human impact

Hydropower is considered a renewable and clean energy source. [32] However large dams, such as the Three Gorges Dam or the Xiluodu Dam have had human and environmental impacts on the areas surrounding dam reservoirs, including erosion, flooding of farmland and destruction of fish breeding habitats. [33] [34] [35] Then Prime Minister Wen Jiabao noted in a report to the National People's Congress in 2007 that dam building in China had displaced 23 million people over the years. [35]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Three Gorges Dam</span> Dam in Sandouping, Yiling District, Hubei, China

The Three Gorges Dam is a hydroelectric gravity dam that spans the Yangtze River near the Sandouping, in Yiling District, Yichang, Hubei province, central China, downstream of the Three Gorges. The world's largest power station in terms of installed capacity (22,500 MW), the Three Gorges Dam generates 95±20 TWh of electricity per year on average, depending on the amount of precipitation in the river basin. After the extensive monsoon rainfalls of 2020, the dam's annual production reached nearly 112 TWh, breaking the previous world record of ~103 TWh set by Itaipu Dam in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renewable energy in China</span>

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The Baihetan Dam is a large hydroelectric dam on the Jinsha River, an upper stretch of the Yangtze River in Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, in southwest China. The dam is a 289-meter-tall double-curvature arch dam with a crest elevation of 827 m, and a width of 72 m at the base and 13 m at the crest. It is considered to be the last large hydropower project in China after a series of projects starting with the Three Gorges Dam. It is also the second largest hydropower plant in the world. The hydropower station is equipped with 16 hydro-generating units that each have a capacity of 1 million kilowatts, making it the largest single-unit capacity globally. All hydro-generating units of the Baihetan hydropower station became fully operational on 20 December 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ertan Dam</span> Dam in Sichuan, China

The Ertan Dam is an arch dam on the Yalong River, a tributary of the Yangtze River in Sichuan Province, in southwest China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electricity sector in China</span>

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Ultra-high-voltage electricity transmission has been used in China since 2009 to transmit both alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) electricity over long distances separating China's energy resources and consumers. Expansion of both AC and DC capacity continues in order to match generation to consumption demands while minimizing transmission losses. Decarbonization improvements will result from the replacement of lower efficiency generation, located near the coast, by more modern high-efficiency generation with less pollution near the energy resources.

The Jinping-II Dam, also known as the Jinping-II Hydropower Station, is a gravity dam on the Jinping Bend of the Yalong River in Sichuan, China. Construction on the project began in 2007 and it was complete in 2014. Its hydroelectric power station has a 4,800 MW installed capacity.

The Hohhot Pumped Storage Power Station, also known by Huhehaote, is located 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Hohhot in Inner Mongolia, China. It uses the pumped-storage hydroelectric method to generate electricity. The plant has an installed capacity of 1,224 megawatts (1,641,000 hp). Construction began in 2005 and the first generator was commissioned on 20 November 2014. The second generator was commissioned on 26 December 2014 and the final two were commissioned in June 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liyang Pumped Storage Power Station</span> Dam

The Liyang Pumped Storage Power Station is a pumped-storage hydroelectric power station 22 km (14 mi) south of Liyang in Jiangsu Province, eastern China. Preliminary construction began in 2002 and major works started in May 2011. The first unit of the power station was commissioned in 2017, the power station will have an installed capacity of 1,500 MW.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Walker, Qin (29 July 2015). "The Hidden Costs of China's Shift to Hydropower". The Diplomat. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  2. ↑ "Hydropower Status Report – Sector Trends and Insights" (PDF). International Hydropower Association. 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  3. ↑ "2021 Hydropower Status Report" (PDF). assets-global.website-files.com. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  4. ↑ "Country Rankings". /Statistics/View-Data-by-Topic/Capacity-and-Generation/Country-Rankings. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
  5. ↑ "Statistical Review of World Energy 2022" (PDF). BP . Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  6. ↑ "Country Rankings". /Statistics/View-Data-by-Topic/Capacity-and-Generation/Country-Rankings. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
  7. ↑ "China | International Hydropower Association". www.hydropower.org. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  8. ↑ "2018 electricity & other energy statistics". China Energy Portal | 中国能源门户. 2019-01-25. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
  9. ↑ "Renewable Energy Prospects: China" (PDF). International Renewable Energy Agency . November 2014.
  10. ↑ Hvistendahl, Mara. "China's Three Gorges Dam: An Environmental Catastrophe?". Scientific American. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  11. ↑ Generating capacity is not the only factor determining the amount of electricity generated, as this also depends on consistent utilization of the plant's capacity. Factors enhancing this are the free capacity of the reservoir and the consistency of water supply during and across years.
  12. ↑ "China's Three Gorges dam 'breaks world hydropower record'".
  13. ↑ Directors, Hydro Review Content (2021-06-28). "16-GW Baihetan hydropower plant begins operating in China". Hydro Review. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
  14. ↑ "世界第三大水电站溪洛渡水电站机组全部投产--能源--人民网".
  15. ↑ "China's second-largest hydropower station in full operation". Archived from the original on July 7, 2014.
  16. ↑ 马常艳. "中国第三大水电站向家坝水电站将全部投产发电_中国经济网——国家经济门户". Archived from the original on 2017-08-16. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
  17. ↑ reduper (13 September 2022). "Xiangjiaba Dam". Super Engineering Website. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
  18. ↑ "龙滩水电站创世界建设最快纪录--能源--人民网". Archived from the original on 2011-08-26. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
  19. ↑ "云南省最大水电站糯扎渡水电站全面建成投产". Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
  20. ↑ "Largest hydropower station on Mekong River starts operation - Xinhua | English.news.cn". Archived from the original on 2014-08-26. Retrieved 2014-08-27.
  21. ↑ "中国水电承建拉西瓦水电站首批5台机组全部投产". Archived from the original on 2010-08-26. Retrieved 2010-08-26.
  22. ↑ "小湾电站机组全部投产 我国水电装机突破2亿千瓦". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03.
  23. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2011-07-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  24. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 List of pumped-storage power plants in China 1 (Mandarin) Archived 2011-07-07 at the Wayback Machine
  25. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 List of pumped-storage power plants in China 2 (Mandarin) Archived 2011-07-07 at the Wayback Machine
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 List of pumped-storage power plants in China 3 (Mandarin) Archived 2011-07-07 at the Wayback Machine
  27. ↑ Yichin Power- List of all of the information Archived 2011-07-07 at the Wayback Machine
  28. ↑ Ghosh, Arunabh (2023). "Multiple makings at China's first hydroelectric power station at Shilongba, 1908–1912". History and Technology. 38 (2–3): 167–185. doi: 10.1080/07341512.2022.2112295 . ISSN   0734-1512.
  29. 1 2 3 Kang, Xiaofeng. "Hydropower Development in China History and Narratives" (PDF). Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  30. 1 2 3 Harrell, Stevan (2023). An Ecological History of Modern China. Seattle: University of Washington Press. ISBN   9780295751719.
  31. ↑ "China's Era of Mega-Dams Is Ending as Solar and Wind Power Rise". Bloomberg.com. 2020-07-03. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
  32. ↑ Brigham, Katie (2022-06-02). "Why hydropower is the forgotten giant of clean energy". CNBC. Retrieved 2022-08-06.
  33. ↑ Gan, Nectar (2020-07-31). "China's Three Gorges Dam is one of the largest ever created. Was it worth it?". CNN. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
  34. ↑ Walker, Beth; Qin, Liu (2020-07-31). "The Hidden Costs of China's Shift to Hydropower". The Diplomat. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
  35. 1 2 Yardley, Jim (2007-11-14). "Chinese dam projects criticized for their human costs". New York Times. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
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