China’s mega Xiluodu Hydropower Station, the fourth largest of its kind in the world, had generated over 500 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of clean electricity as of Thursday, helping cut carbon dioxide emissions by over 400 million tonnes, the China Three Gorges Corporation announced.
It said the amount can meet the need for household electricity consumption of about 600 million people, equivalent to replacing about 152 million tonnes of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide by about 416 million tonnes. The mega hydropower station, which straddles Yongshan County in Yunnan Province and Leibo County in Sichuan Province, southwestern China, began full operation in 2014.
“Since the first units started operation, the Xiluodu Hydropower Station has been in safe and stable operation for 3,244 days, generating 60 billion kWh of power annually for many consecutive years,” said Liu Zhihui, a senior official from Xiluodu Hydroelectric Power Plant. The clean energy produced by the Three Gorges Hydroelectric Power Station in 2020 is estimated to be equivalent to saving about 34.39 million tonnes of standard coal and preventing the emissions of carbon dioxide by 94.02 million tonnes. Chen Hui, head of the Three Gorges hydroelectric plant, said the new world record is of great significance considering the COVID-19 epidemic and floods in the Yangtze River basin in 2020 the hydropower station continued to increase its output and the clean electricity it transmitted to eastern, central and southern China reached the highest level in the same period in history, which provided a strong basic energy guarantee for epidemic prevention and control and work resumption in China.
The power station has 18 generating units, with a total installed capacity of 13.86 million kW. “We will continue to implement important measures to ensure energy supply, take advantage of excessive incoming water during the flood season, and ensure that all 18 units of the power station are fully operational,” said Zhang Ge, director of the plant.
Source: This news is originally published by Cgtn