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Call to oversee planning of hydropower development

By Yu Tianyu (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2008-12-12 18:31

Development of hydropower on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River seriously lacks order, planning and supervision, a government consultant said today.

Shao Bingren, vice director of the Commission of Population, Resources and Environment at the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said: "according to statistics from the Ministry of Environmental Protection, there are over 3,000 hydropower stations without government approval across China."

He said it is particularly serious in the east of Sichuan province, on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, as there are 27 stations spread over 500 km of the Tuojiang River tributary.

On average, there is one station every 15-km along Minjiang, another tributary of the Yangtze River, he added. Furthermore, there is concern over some hydropower stations which were built on earthquake fault zones.

Shao pointed out that over-exploitation of hydropower on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River is due to the formalistic administrative procedures for examination and approval.

The development of Hydropower lacks overall planning that is based on current needs and situations.

The Chinese government has said in its 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010), that China will develop hydropower on the basis of ecological protection.

As well as pledging to solve problems and address environmental concerns caused by small-scale hydropower stations, the government has also vowed to strengthen supervision of such projects.