China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has approved the development of three new pumped-storage hydropower projects in the Qinghai province (western China), totalling 7.6 GW of capacity and requiring a total investment of CNY50bn (US$7.3bn).
The 2.8 GW Warang pumped-storage power plant will be located in Guinan county in the Hainan prefecture and will cost an estimated CNY16bn (US$2.3bn). The 2.4 GW Tongde power plant will also be located in the Hainan prefecture and will require an investment of CNY17bn (US$2.5bn). The 2.4 GW Nanshankou power plant will be located near Golmud in the Haixi prefecture and will also cost an estimated CNY17bn (US$2.5bn). The construction of the projects is expected to begin in the first half of 2023.
In late December 2022, China’s 16 GW Baihetan hydropower plant, located between the southwestern provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan, became fully operational as its final unit was put into operation. It became China’s second largest hydro plant after the 22.5 GW Three Gorges Dam.
At the end of 2021, hydro represented 16% of China’s installed capacity with 391 GW and 16% of its power generation with 1,339 TWh. The country holds the world’s largest estimated exploitable hydroelectricity resources at around 1,750 TWh.
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