British media: abundant rainfall makes China surge in water and electricity

Guangdong Huizhou

Reuters on July 12, the original title: China's surge of hydropower is conducive to achieving climate goals and reducing energy expenditure this year. China's hydropower capacity has increased rapidly under the promotion of record precipitation, which helps the country to achieve green goals And reducing the import of natural gas during global supply tensions.

"China's condition this year is very unique, mainly because the epidemic prevention restriction measures have lowered power demand, and the rapid development of renewable energy can meet slow power demand." Said Li Shuo, a senior consultant of Green Peace Organization. Prevention and control measures taken by cities such as Shanghai have suppressed business activities, thereby reducing power demand. The abundant precipitation and other new capacity of renewable energy have also reduced the demand for fossil fuel.

This year, the precipitation from March to May of the southern China reached a 60 -year high, replenishing the dams for the dams of the area and increased the hydropower in the first five months of this year by 18%year -on -year. On the other hand, from January to May of this year, China mainly from coal -fired power plants decreased by 4%year -on -year. The surge in hydropower has also helped the world's second largest economy to avoid the shortage of electricity experienced last year. Some reasons for China's lack of electricity last year were drought affecting the dam water level. Compared with previous years, the flood season in southern China has arrived two weeks in advance this year, and the average precipitation has reached the highest value since 1961.

Although the government has urged mining enterprises to increase coal production since last year's power shortage, China has not actually increased coal -fired power generation. The International Hydropower Association issued a report last month stating: "Only China has passed hydropower and has been on the road to realizing net zero power generation." In the past 5 years, the average annual increase in hydropower in hydropower has increased by 22 GW, of which more than half of them came from China.

Among China's current power generation, about 60%rely on coal, lower than 75%in 2015, 3%to 5%dependent on natural gas, and other dependent renewable energy. Although the proportion of solar power generation in China is much smaller, it has increased faster. In the first five months of this year, solar power generation increased by 13%year -on -year, accounting for 2.7%of the total power generation, a record high. "This year, China’ s progress in increasing new solar power generation capabilities is indeed noticeable. In this regard, China is far ahead of other countries. " The tower is expressed.

A large amount of hydropower also reduces China's demand for expensive liquefied natural gas, and helps to reduce the global price of a record high after the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis. In the first five months of this year, China's natural gas imports decreased by 20%year -on -year. Analysts said that the decline in demand may reduce China's import ranking this year, becoming the second largest natural gas importer in the world after Japan.

In China's energy consumption, whether renewable energy can maintain the proportion of existing accounts is yet to be observed, but when the power consumption recovers with the economic recovery, China seems to benefit from investing in renewable energy capacity. (Author Xu Muyu (sound), translated by Wang Huicong)

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