Water is the foundation of survival, the essence of development, and the source of civilization. China has abundant hydropower resources, ranking first in the world in terms of total resources. As of the end of June 2022, the installed capacity of conventional hydropower in China has reached 358 million kilowatts. The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China pointed out the requirements of “coordinating hydropower development and ecological protection” and “strengthening ecological environment protection in all aspects, regions, and processes”, which pointed out the direction for hydropower development and development. The author discusses the new paradigm of hydropower development from the perspective of ecological civilization construction.
The necessity of hydropower development
China has abundant hydropower resources, with a technology development capacity of 687 million kilowatts and an average annual power generation of 3 trillion kilowatt hours, ranking first in the world. The prominent characteristics of hydropower are renewability and cleanliness. Famous hydropower expert Academician Pan Jiazheng once said, “As long as the sun is not extinguished, hydropower can be reborn every year.” The cleanliness of hydropower is reflected in the fact that it does not produce exhaust gas, waste residue, or wastewater, and almost does not emit carbon dioxide, which is a common consensus in the international community. The Agenda 21 adopted at the 1992 Rio de Janeiro summit and the document on sustainable development adopted at the 2002 Johannesburg summit all explicitly include hydropower as a renewable energy source. In 2018, the International Hydroelectric Association (IHA) studied the greenhouse gas footprint of nearly 500 reservoirs worldwide, and found that the carbon dioxide emissions per kilowatt hour of electricity from hydropower throughout its lifecycle were only 18 grams, lower than those from wind and photovoltaic power generation. In addition, hydropower is also the longest operating and highest return on investment renewable energy source. The world’s first hydropower station has been in operation for over 150 years, and the earliest built Shilongba hydropower station in China has also been in operation for 110 years. From the perspective of investment return, the investment return rate of hydropower during its engineering lifespan is as high as 168%. Because of this, developed countries around the world prioritize the development of hydropower. The more developed the economy, the higher the level of hydropower resource development and the better the ecological environment in a country.
To address global climate change, major countries around the world have proposed carbon neutrality action plans. The common implementation path is to vigorously develop new energy sources such as wind and solar power, but the integration of new energy sources, mainly wind and solar power, into the power grid will have an impact on the stable operation of the power system due to its volatility, intermittency, and uncertainty. As a backbone power source, hydropower has the advantages of flexible regulation of “voltage regulators”. Some countries have repositioned the function of hydropower. Australia defines hydropower as the pillar of future reliable energy systems; The United States proposes a hydroelectric development incentive plan; Switzerland, Norway, and other countries with extremely high levels of hydropower development, due to the lack of new resources to develop, the common practice is to raise old dams, increase capacity, and expand installed capacity. Some hydropower stations also install reversible units or transform them into variable speed reversible units, making every effort to use hydropower to promote the integration and consumption of new energy into the grid.
Ecological civilization leads the high-quality development of hydropower
There is no doubt about the scientific development of hydropower, and the key issue is how to better develop the remaining hydropower.
The development and utilization of any resource may bring about ecological problems, but the manifestations and degrees of impact vary. For example, nuclear power needs to address the issue of nuclear waste; A small amount of wind power development has little impact on the ecological environment, but if developed on a large scale, it will change the atmospheric circulation patterns in local areas, affecting the climate environment and the migration of migratory birds.
The ecological and environmental impacts of hydropower development objectively exist, with both favorable and unfavorable impacts; Some impacts are explicit, some are implicit, some are short-term, and some are long-term. We cannot exaggerate the adverse effects of hydropower development, nor can we ignore the possible consequences it may cause. We must carry out ecological environment monitoring, comparative analysis, scientific research, comprehensive argumentation, and take measures to properly respond and reduce the adverse effects to an acceptable level. What kind of spatiotemporal scale should be used to evaluate the impact of hydropower development on the ecological environment in the new era, and how should hydropower resources be scientifically and reasonably developed? This is the key question that needs to be answered.
The history of global hydropower development has proven that the cascade development of rivers in developed countries has brought comprehensive economic, social, and environmental benefits. China’s clean energy hydropower bases – Lancang River, Hongshui River, Jinsha River, Yalong River, Dadu River, Wujiang River, Qingjiang River, Yellow River, etc. – have comprehensively and systematically implemented ecological protection and restoration measures, effectively mitigating the impact of hydropower projects on the ecological environment. With the deepening of ecological concepts, relevant laws and regulations in China will become more sound, management measures will become more scientific and comprehensive, and environmental protection technology will continue to make progress.
Since the 21st century, hydropower development has fully implemented new concepts, followed the new requirements of “ecological protection red line, environmental quality bottom line, resource utilization online, and negative environmental access list”, and achieved the requirements of protection in development and development in protection. Truly implementing the concept of ecological civilization and leading the high-quality development and utilization of hydropower.
Hydropower Development Helps Ecological Civilization Construction
The adverse effects of hydropower development on river ecology are mainly reflected in two aspects: one is sediment, which is the accumulation of reservoirs; Another is aquatic species, especially rare fish species.
Regarding sediment issues, special caution should be taken when constructing dams and reservoirs in rivers with high sediment content. Multiple measures should be taken to reduce sediment entering the reservoir and extend its lifespan. For example, by doing a good job in soil and water conservation upstream, reservoirs can reduce sedimentation and downstream erosion through scientific scheduling, water and sediment regulation, sediment storage and discharge, and various measures. If the sediment problem cannot be solved, then reservoirs should not be built. From the currently built power stations, it can be seen that the overall sediment problem in the reservoir can be solved through both engineering and non engineering measures.
Regarding species conservation issues, especially rare species, their living environment is most directly affected by hydropower development. Land species such as rare plants can be migrated and protected; Aquatic species, such as fish, some have migratory habits. The construction of dams and reservoirs obstructs their migratory channels, which may lead to the disappearance of species or affect biodiversity. This should be treated differently depending on the specific situation. Some common species, such as regular fish, can be compensated for by proliferation measures. Very rare species should be protected by special measures. Objectively speaking, some rare aquatic species are now facing endangered situations, and hydropower is not the main culprit, but the result of long-term overfishing, water quality deterioration, and water environment deterioration in history. If the number of a species decreases to a certain extent and cannot reproduce offspring, it will inevitably gradually disappear. It is necessary to conduct research and adopt various measures such as artificial reproduction and release to save rare species.
The impact of hydropower on the ecological environment must be highly valued, and measures should be taken as much as possible to eliminate adverse effects. We should approach and understand this issue systematically, historically, fairly, and objectively. Scientific development of hydropower not only safeguards the safety of rivers, but also contributes to the construction of ecological civilization.
Ecological Priority Achieves a New Paradigm for Hydroelectric Development
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the hydropower industry has adhered to the concept of “people-oriented, ecological priority, and green development”, gradually forming a new paradigm for ecological development of hydropower. As mentioned earlier, in the process of engineering planning, design, construction, and operation, conducting research, scheme design, and plan implementation on ecological flow release, ecological scheduling, fish habitat protection, river connectivity restoration, and fish proliferation and release can effectively mitigate the impact of hydropower development, construction, and operation on the aquatic habitats of rivers. For high dams and large reservoirs, if there is a problem of low-temperature water discharge, layered water intake structure engineering measures are generally adopted to solve it. For example, high dams and large reservoirs such as Jinping Level 1, Nuozhadu, and Huangdeng have all chosen to adopt measures such as stacked beam doors, front retaining walls, and waterproof curtain walls to mitigate low temperature water. These measures have become industry practices, forming industry standards and technical specifications.
There are migratory fish species in rivers, and methods such as fish transportation systems, fish elevators, and “fish lanes+fish elevators” are also common practices for passing fish. The fishway of the Zangmu hydropower station has been implemented very well through years of monitoring and evaluation. Not only new construction projects, but also the renovation of some old projects, and the addition of fish passing facilities. The reconstruction project of Fengman Hydropower Station has added fish traps, fish collection facilities, and fish elevators, opening up the Songhua River that blocks fish migration.
In terms of fish breeding and releasing technology, a technical system has been formed for the planning, design, construction, production and operation of equipment and facilities, as well as monitoring and evaluating the release effect of fish breeding and releasing stations. Fish habitat protection and restoration technologies have also made significant progress. At present, effective ecological protection and restoration measures have been taken in major river hydropower bases. In addition, quantitative evaluation of ecological environment protection and restoration has been achieved through simulation of ecological environment suitability models before and after habitat damage. From 2012 to 2016, the Three Gorges Hydropower Station continued to carry out ecological scheduling experiments to promote the breeding of “the four famous domestic fishes”. Since then, the joint ecological dispatch of Xiluodu, Xiangjiaba, and Three Gorges Hydropower Station has been implemented simultaneously every year. Through years of continuous ecological regulation and fishery resource protection, the spawning amount of the “the four famous domestic fishes” has shown an increasing trend year by year, among which the spawning amount of the “the four famous domestic fishes” in the Yidu River section at the downstream of Gezhouba has increased from 25 million in 2012 to 3 billion in 2019.
Practice has proven that the above systematic methods and measures have formed a new paradigm for ecological development of hydropower in the new era. The ecological development of hydropower can not only alleviate or even eliminate the adverse effects on the ecological environment of rivers, but also better promote environmental protection through good ecological development of hydropower. The current reservoir area of the hydropower base has a significantly better terrestrial environment than other local areas. Power stations such as Ertan and Longyangxia are not only famous tourist attractions, but also protected and restored due to local climate improvement, vegetation growth, longer biological chains, and biodiversity.
Ecological civilization is a new goal for the development of human society after industrial civilization. The construction of ecological civilization is related to the well-being of the people and the future of the nation. Faced with the severe situation of tightening resource constraints, severe environmental pollution, and ecosystem degradation, we must establish the concept of ecological civilization that respects, conforms to, and protects nature.
Currently, the country is expanding effective investment and accelerating the construction of major projects. A number of hydropower projects will increase their work intensity, accelerate work progress, and strive to meet the conditions for approval and commencement during the 14th Five Year Plan period. The 14th Five Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development of the People’s Republic of China and the Outline of Vision Goals for 2035 clearly put forward to implement major projects such as the Sichuan Tibet Railway, the new land sea channel in the west, the national water network, and the hydropower development in the lower reaches of the the Yarlung Zangbo River, promote major scientific research facilities, major ecosystem protection and restoration, public health emergency support, major water diversion, flood control and disaster reduction, power and gas transmission A number of major projects with strong foundations, added functions, and long-term benefits, such as transportation along the border, along the river, and along the coast. We are well aware that energy transformation requires hydropower, and hydropower development must also ensure ecological security. Only by placing greater emphasis on protecting the ecological environment can high-quality development of hydropower be achieved, and the development and utilization of hydropower can contribute to the construction of ecological civilization.
The new paradigm of hydropower development will further promote the high-quality development of hydropower in the new era. Through hydropower development, we will drive the large-scale development of new energy, accelerate the pace of China’s energy transformation, build a clean, low-carbon, safe and efficient new energy system, gradually increase the proportion of new energy in the new power system, build a beautiful China, and contribute the power of hydropower personnel.
Post time: Dec-15-2023
