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China’s untapped hydropower could supply 30 per cent of electricity needs: study
- World’s largest supply of unused profitable hydropower is in China, researchers say
- But scientists are wary of ecological impact more dams could have on Chinese rivers
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China has the world’s largest unused profitable hydropower potential, which if developed could meet 30 per cent of China’s electricity needs, a new global assessment has found.
A team of researchers from Britain, China, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Thailand and the United States studied data from nearly 3 million rivers around the world to determine the total amount of unused hydropower potential.
Their findings, published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Water on Tuesday, showed China’s potential development sites lie mainly in the mountainous areas in the south – Tibet, Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou.
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While hydropower was a renewable and “relatively cost-effective” energy source, it “fundamentally changes the natural discharge of rivers, disturbs freshwater ecosystems and may contribute to local species extinctions”, the researchers said.
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To limit potential impacts on the environment and societies, the team excluded areas considered heritage sites, biodiversity hotspots, forests, settlements of more than 50,000 people, and earthquake-prone regions from their assessment.
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