China has begun construction of a 1 GW hydro-photovoltaic complementary power plant project on the Yalong river, in the Sichuan province (western China). The Kela hydro-photovoltaic plant covers an area of 16 km2 and is expected to provide 2 TWh of clean power, equivalent to a 1.6 MtCO2 reduction in carbon emissions. Total investment for the project, which is managed by China's State Power and Investment Corporation, stands at CNY5.3bn (US$791m).
The Kela plant, situated above 4,000 m in altitude, links to Sichuan’s Lianghekou Hydropower plant, which was connected to the grid in March 2022, through a 500 kV transmission line.
In 2021, China’s installed capacity for renewables surpassed 1,000 GW (with 391 GW for hydro, 328 GW for wind and 307 GW for solar) and power production from renewables reached 2,335 TWh.