Ø China began operating the world’s second-largest hydropower station recently in what officials hailed as a milestone towards Beijing’s carbon neutrality goals, despite warnings of environmental damage.
Ø The Baihetan Dam on the Jinsha River, a tributary of the Yangtze, is part of Chinese efforts to curb surging fossil fuel demand by building more hydropower capacity at a time when dams have fallen out of favor in other countries due to environmental complaints.
Ø The 289-metre (948 feet) high Baihetan Hydropower Station in southwest China, second in the world only to the country’s Three Gorges Dam in terms of power generation.
Ø Baihetan was built with a total installed capacity of 16,000 megawatts, which means it will eventually be able to generate enough electricity each day once to meet the power needs of 500,000 people for an entire year.
Ø The country has been on a hydropower building spree in recent years as it races to meet the ever-growing energy needs of the world’s largest population.
Ø The dam spans a deep, narrow gorge on the upper section of the Yangtze, China’s longest river, on the earthquake-prone border between Yunnan and Sichuan provinces.