In just one day, China dammed a huge river in two spots to build a mega hydropower project in the southwestern province of Sichuan, according to China Electric Power News under the National Energy Administration.
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The flow of the Yalong River, a secondary tributary of the Yangtze River, was intercepted as the first step in the construction of two large hydropower projects on Tuesday. They have a combined installed capacity of 2.7 million kilowatts (kW).
Upon completion, these two hydropower stations – Mengdigou and Yagen Stage I – are projected to generate electricity equivalent to 3.5 million tonnes of coal annually and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 9 million tonnes each year.
“This marks the first time in the Yalong River that two hydropower stations have achieved a synchronised blockade, representing a new breakthrough in the construction of the country’s first water-solar-wind integrated base,” the newspaper said.
The stations are part of China’s pioneering model for integrating three renewable energy sources. The plan envisions four such water-solar-wind facilities located along the Yalong River, with a total planned installed capacity of 78 million kW, scheduled for completion by 2035.
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“The 100 per cent renewable energy supply system, with hydropower at its core, is designed to be a blueprint for integrated water-solar-wind projects across China’s major river basins. It aims to serve as a global exemplar for green and low-carbon transformation,” according to the report.