Projects Run-of-river hydropower

Huóshui Grouped Small Hydropower

Objective: The Rural China Grouped Small Hydro Project consists of a group of 95 small-scale hydropower plants which generate clean renewable electricity across rural south western China. The project contributes to mitigating greenhouse gas emissions by generating hydroelectric power rather than burning coal and makes a substantial difference to the lives of local communities.

The Context

The power of running water can be utilised to generate electricity in remote areas in China that would otherwise depend on fossil-fired power. Before the implementation of this multi-location project, local residents around the project sites were living in very poor conditions and the local governmental financial sources were very limited. The implementation of this project helps to achieve sustainable development in social, environmental and economic aspects of local communities.

The Project

Ninety-five individual hydropower plants with a total capacity of 215.71MW are providing Southern and Central China with clean energy to help meet the mounting demand for power. The plants are all small-scale, ranging in size from 0.1 to 14 MW capacity, and together contribute an average of 769,396 MWh of clean energy to the grid annually. They use a 'run-of-river' design, which means they are able to utilise the power of the rivers with no significant environmental or social impacts. The cost of building small-scale hydropower plants in remote locations is a significant barrier to their construction.

The Benefits

These projects would not have been financially viable without the extra revenue from carbon credits. Permanent and temporary jobs are created by the project implementation. In addition, carbon credits are used to fund social initiatives like disaster relief funds, and agricultural and education programmes that are implemented in cooperation with local organisations. Agricultural workshops on growing fruit trees and other sustainable crops offer increased income opportunities for local farmers.