BEIJING, April 18 (UPI) -- China needs to pay closer attention to threats of earthquakes and landslides in areas where it plans to build hydropower projects, an energy official said.
Speaking at a Nanjing conference on Yangtze River protection, Hu Siyi, vice-minister of water resources, referred to China's ambitious plans to build hydropower projects in the southwestern region where there is an abundance of water through its river systems, China Daily reported Tuesday.
However, the region is prone to earthquakes and other disasters such as floods and landslides.
"Major water projects currently under construction or in the pipeline in the country's southwestern regions are among the largest in the world," Hu said.
The capability of such projects to withstand natural disasters has become an issue of increasing public concern, he said. The projects should include technologies used in high frequency earthquake areas or for repairing dams hit by natural disasters, he said.
China's reliance on hydropower stems from growing demand for energy and in response to reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases, the report said. Current estimates call for China to generate 310 gigawatts from hydropower by 2015, up from 208 gigawatts generated currently, the report said.
Seven hydropower projects are under construction in southwest China's Yunnan and Guizhou provinces.
Japan's March 11 crisis at its quake-tsunami hit Fukushima nuclear plant also has heightened concerns among Chinese officials about their hydropower projects.
