1 June 2010 | Luca Del Buono
Carbon, Climate Change, Energy, Water, Asia

 

The Chinese Government is pushing to achieve its energy goals for both the Conference of Parties in Cancun this December and for it's 2020 targets. It is believed that in order to reach its clean energy development goals the Chinese Government will need to commission and build more hydroelectric projects.

Recently the Chinese Government has initiated many steps in order to progress towards its clean energy goals. One of these steps, which comes into force today, is to raise the power tariff for some firms in order to prevent the excess use of energy and to lessen the amount of pollution created. Despite efforts such as this experts still assert that the Chinese Government needs to build hydropower plants in order to attain its energy goals.

On Monday, Zhang Guobao, head of the National Energy Administration announced that, "for new hydropower projects to play a role in China's move toward energy saving and emission reduction in 2020, their construction must be started before 2015." If the Chinese Government decides to go down this route in order to hit its clean energy targets it is evident that it needs to act soon.

In 2006 the Three Gorges Dam was completed in China. Since its construction it has had many environmental benefits. For example, the emission of greenhouse gas has lessened by around an estimated 100 million tons due to the fact that less coal is burnt in the production of energy. Zhang believes that, "considering current hydropower capacity, projects under construction, and building cycles, China needs to start building around 120 gigawatts of hydropower projects in the six years through 2015."

One new scheme that is currently being considered involves building the world's largest hydroelectric project on the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra River as part of expansion of renewable power in the Himalayas. It could save approximately 200 million tons of carbon dioxide every year. This would be a massive opportunity for the Chinese Government to cut carbon emissions and increase its green energy usage.

Despite Zhang's assertion that hydro and nuclear power are the big players in the progression towards a clean fuel target there is opposition to this approach. There have been allegations that hydropower construction has exacerbated water shortages in some areas of China suffering from drought and that environmental damage has been caused by the construction of dams. He claims, "Every energy source has positive and negative effects and cannot be viewed only from the negative side ... and should be weighed in an overall way."

Clearly there are both positive and negative effects of hydropower. The Chinese Government is looking to move away from the use of fossil fuels and although hydropower could be the answer resistance has reared its head in response to the harmful side effects it can generate.

 

Author: Rachael Bristow | Climate Action

Image: hughrocks | Flickr

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