China's installed generation capacity surpasses 800 GW

China Power Capacity Growth surged with installed capacity gains across hydropower, wind power, and nuclear power, thermal plant upgrades, and rapid grid buildout, expanding transmission lines while reducing line loss and boosting efficiency.

Following the successful commissioning of Unit 6 at China Power Investment Corporation's Laxiwa Hydropower Station on April 16, China's installed power generation capacity surpassed 800 gigawatts (GW), according to the National Working Conference on Electric Power, held by the National Energy Administration in Jinggangshan.

In recent years, China's installed capacity has grown rapidly. Data show that China's installed capacity rose from 357 GW at the end of 2002 to 792 GW at the end of 2008, supported by power investment across generation and grid systems, an annual average increase of more than 70 GW of installed capacity. From January to July 2009, newly commissioned units in China, as power project spending accelerated, added 35.52 GW of capacity.

At the end of July 2009, China's installed capacity of hydropower had jumped from 86.07 GW in 2002 to 182 GW, as hydroelectric capacity continued to rise across major projects; the installed capacity of nuclear power reached 9.06 GW, which was double the 2002 figure; the installed capacity of wind power was 14.74 GW. Among the 33.01 GW of units that were commissioned in the first half of 2009, the capacity of clean energy such as hydropower reached 11.04 GW, accounting for 33.45% of the total.

The country's shift in the network of thermal power plants also made headway. As of June 30, 2009, as part of broader power sector reforms undertaken during the period, China had closed 7,467 inefficient small thermal power units with a total installed capacity of 54.07 GW, achieving the objective of shutting down 50 GW of small thermal power units in the Eleventh Five-Year Plan. To date, the proportion of large thermal power units with capacities of more than 300 megawatts (MW) reached 59%. Highly efficient units with capacities of 600 MW or more have become the norm in new construction projects.

Construction of China's grid also developed rapidly. At the end of July 2009, the total length of transmission lines of 220 kilovolts or above reached 375,000 kilometers, the largest length of transmission lines in the world. Line-loss rate dropped from 7.52% at the end of 2002 to 6.44% in the first seven months of 2009, while power equipment utilization declined in the same period as well.

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