1) China has significant hydropower potential and has rapidly developed hydropower resources over the past decades. 2) Hydropower development faces challenges including environmental protection, resettlement, dam safety, and ensuring project sustainability. 3) The document discusses China's strategies to develop hydropower to adapt to climate change, safeguard energy security, reduce poverty, and support economic development, as well as solutions to the challenges through policy, technology, and international cooperation.

1. Sustainable Hydropower Development
in China: Challenges and Solutions
Dr. KUANG Shangfu
President
China Institute of Water Resources and
Hydropower Research
2011 IHA WORLD CONGRESS 14-17 June 2011 1
ADVANCING SUSTAINABLE HYDROPOWER Iguassu, Brazil

2. CONTENTS
1. Overview of Hydropower Development in China
2. Hydropower Strategies
3. Challenges of Sustainability; Solutions
4. Conclusions

3. 1 Overview of Hydropower
1. Overview of Hydropower
Development in China
Development in China
2. Hydropower Strategies
3. Challenges of Sustainability;
Solutions
4. Conclusions

4. Overview of Hydropower Resources
GW
Hydropower Potential TWh
Annual Hydropower Generation
7
800
694 6.08
700 6
600 542 5
500 402 4
400
3 2.47
300
2
1.75
200
100 1
0 0
Gross Technically Economically Gross Technically Economically
theoretical feasible feasible theoretical feasible feasible
• Potential: No.1 of the world

5. Development of Hydropower
GW Hydropower Installed Capacity of China
250
213.4
196.79
200
171.52
145.26
150 128.57
100 77
50 34.58
0
1910 … 1990 … 2000 … 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Shilongba
China’s first
Hydropower
Station
The Shilongba Statio，1910
Three Gorges

6. Dams in China
Three Gorges Gravity Dam Ertan Arch Dam
H=183 m, P = 22.5 GW H=240 m, P=3,300 MW
Xiaolangdi Clay Core Rockfill Dam Longtan RCC Dam
H=157 m, P=1,800 MW H=216.5 m, P=5,400 MW

7. Small Hydro
Small hydro (< 50 MW) Installed capacity Power generation
Technically feasible 128 GW 530 TWh
End of 2010 58 GW 200 TWh
70000
Installed capacity (MW)
60000
58000
50000
40000
30000 24852
20000
13180
10000
3.6 227 1019 1930
0
1950 1962 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

8. Contributions of Small Hydro
• Electrification level
• Economic development
• Life standard & production capacity Small hydro
• Emergency power supply hydropower National
• Ecological benefits generation territory
30%
50%
Counties Population
22%
33%

9. Hydropower Development Degree
Technically feasible
90% 84% 82% 80%
80% 73%
70% 65%
60%
50% 43%
39%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Japan US France Germany Canada Brazil China
» Potential in China: large

10. 1. Overview of Hydropower
Development in China
2 Hydropower Strategies
2. Hydropower Strategies
3. Challenges of Sustainability;
Solutions
4. Conclusions

11. Strategic Significance of Hydropower in China
• To adapt to climate change
• To safeguard energy safety
• To reduce poverty
• To support social, economic development

12. To Adapt to Climate Change
China’s Energy Structure
Hydro 7%
Nuclear & others 2% Non-fossil 9%
Fossil 91%
Copenhagen Commitment: by 2020,
•Non-fossil energy: up to 15% Coal 76%
Oil 11%
•Carbon emission: down 40-45% Natural gas 4%
than 2005 Fossil
Non-fossil

13. To Safeguard Energy Safety
China’s Power Structure
• Proportion of thermal Wind Nuclear
2% 1%
power: too large (74%)
• Increase hydropower: Hydro
inevitable choice to adjust 23%
power structure Thermal
74%

14. To Reduce Poverty
• China’s hydropower
resources concentrate in
western less-developed
regions
• Hydropower: boost
economy, reduce poverty

15. To Support Social, Economic Development
Industrialization Development Stage of Hollis B. Chenery
Per-capita GDP ($) Economic Development Stage
300-600 Primary Products Stage
600-1200 Initial Stage
1200-2400 Middle Stage Industrialization Stage
2400-4500 Advanced Stage
4500-7200 Early Stage
Developed Economic Stage
7200-10800 Higher Stage
• China GDP per capita: $ 4,371
• Population under poverty line: 150m (< $1.2/d/p)
China needs hydropower to support social and
economic development

16. Strategy of Hydropower Development
• To actively develop hydropower on the premise
of ecological protection
• Goals:
– Total hydropower: 380 GW by 2020
– Including conventional hydropower: > 330 GW

17. 1. Overview of Hydropower
Development in China
2. Hydropower Strategies
3 Challenges of Sustainability;
3. Challenges of
Solutions
Sustainability; Solutions
4. Conclusions

18. Challenges of Sustainability; Solutions
Challenges:
 Environmental protection
 Resettlement
 Dam safety
 Laws and regulations
 Hydropower price

19. Challenges of Sustainability; Solutions
 Environmental protection
Change of water regime Planning and layout
Habitat Compensation
Fish pass Management system
1 2 Slope vegetation (Three Gorges) 1
Fish breeding, releasing 2
Stratified intake (Nuozhadu) 3
3 4
Transplantation of rare 4
plants (Jinghong)

20. Challenges of Sustainability; Solutions
 Resettlement
Life of relocated people Laws and regulations
Local economic Compensation
development Investment
New Countryside
campaign

21. Challenges of Sustainability; Solutions
 Dam safety
Mostly built in 1950s- 70s Reservoirs repaired &
reinforced (in 10 yrs: 7,356)
Danger removal and
reinforcement Reservoirs to be
repaired & reinforced
Safety monitoring (in next 5 yrs: 41,000)
Emergency response Research, management,
monitoring (guarantee
Informatization and system, emergency
modernization response, warning…)

22. Challenges of Sustainability; Solutions
 Laws and regulations
Property of hydroenergy Central government’s
resources No. 1 Document in 2011
Benefit sharing One of 4 goals:
to establish institutions and
Whole-process monitoring systems for scientific
& management development of water
resources
……

23. Challenges of Sustainability; Solutions
 Hydropower price
Lower than thermal Market-oriented pricing
power mechanism
Covering up advantages
of hydropower
On-grid power prices (CNY)
1.2 1.09
1
0.8
0.6
0.56
0.425
0.4
0.35
0.21
0.2
0
Hydro Thermal Nuclear Wind Solar

24. Scientific and Technological Support
Research institutes: IWHR + National Research Center
on Sustainable Hydropower Development + …
Resources General planning; cascade development
utilization planning
Ecological
EIA; ecological mitigation & compensation
safety
Engineering Engineering technologies; automatic
safety monitoring; emergency response
Regional economy; social coordination &
Economic development;
development institution, mechanism, management, poli
cy

25. 1. Overview of Hydropower
Development in China
2. Hydropower Strategies
3. Challenges of Sustainability;
Solutions
4 4. Conclusions
Conclusions

26. Conclusions
Adapt to Safeguard Reduce Support
climate energy poverty social, economic
development
change safety
Strategic choice: to actively develop hydropower on the
premise of ecological protection
Diverse and complex challenges ahead
International cooperation, exchange Sustainable
Economic Sci. & tech. hydropower
development progress development