China eyes hydropower

BEIJING, June 11 (UPI) -- With increasing demand and diminishing resources, China's National Climate Change Program pegs hydro power as an important energy source.

A recently released government report mentions energy mix, efficiency, land use, conservation, development patterns and family planning as important to solving the climate change issue, International Water Power and Dam Construction reported.

Coal provides the bulk of energy in China, which has abundant coal resources but lacks oil, which is one of the reasons the country may drop its coal-to-liquids program. China's goal is to have renewables, including large hydro power, as 10 percent of the primary energy mix by 2010. Hydro power's share of the energy mix has already increased from 5.1 percent to 7.2 percent over the 15 years to 2005.

By the end of 2005, the total installed capacity of hydro power in China reached 117 gigawatts -- equal to almost a quarter of the national electricity generation capacity, the report says. The electricity generated was 401 terawatt hours, or 16.2 percent of the total.

The report says while hydro power should be developed, protecting the environment should come first. China's water resources have already felt the effects of climate change, including recent flooding in some areas and drought in others.