China's high-altitude hydropower station generates 3.5-billion-kWh of power in 1 year

The Maerdang Hydropower Station on the upper reaches of the Yellow River in Qinghai Province has generated 3.5 billion kWh of electricity since its first unit was connected to the grid one year ago.

Located at an average altitude of 3,300 meters in Qinghai, northwest China, the station has a total installed capacity of 2.32 million kilowatts and is a major power provider in the "west-to-east power transmission" project. By the end of last year, all five units of the hydropower station had been fully commissioned for power generation.

The clean power it generated is equivalent to saving approximately 1.07 million tonnes of standard coal, and reducing about 3.98 million tonnes of CO2 emissions.

Leveraging the abundant renewable energy resources in the premise of the hydropower station, the China Energy Investment Corporation, the station's operator, is developing a clean energy production complex integrating hydropower, wind power, solar energy and energy storage, with a planned total installed capacity of 31.12 million kilowatts. Its average annual power generation is expected to reach 48 billion kWh. ■