From China Economic Net:
The structural contradiction of China’s electric power production is very conspicuous. For many years, projects of thermoelectricity blooms everywhere in the eastern provinces and cities where there is a relatively concentrated power consuming load. The coal reserve in China is not the No. 1 in the world but the annual exploitation is, which brings a serious hidden danger to the sustainable development of our society. There is seldom a country in the world whose economic development relies so heavily on coal.
China is one of the countries with the most abundant hydroenergy resources in the world, but the present development degree is less than 20 percent. According to the governmental plan, the hydroelectric installed capacity will reach 125 million kilowatts in 2010, accounting for 28 percent of the total installed capacity; the hydroelectric installed capacity in 2015 will reach 150 million kilowatts, remaining as 28 percent of the total installed electric capacity. By that time, the development degree of hydroenergy will reach 40 percent and China will become the qualified giant of hydroelectricity in the world.
