The Chinese state-owned power company China Huaneng Group plans to develop a 2.6 GW hydropower plant in the Tibet Autonomous Region in western China. The exact location of the power plant has not been revealed, however Huaneng has announced that it would be built in the upper reaches of the Lancang River (the Chinese name of the upper half of the Mekong River) in eastern Tibet.
The project, which will require an estimated investment of CNY58.4bn (US$8.2bn), is expected take 11 years to complete, excluding preparatory work. The project was approved by China's National Development and Reform Commission in April 2023, and now awaits approval from a general meeting of Huaneng shareholders. The hydropower plant is expected to generate about 11.3 TWh/year of electricity.
At the end of 2021, hydropower 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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