Nation to retain lead in hydropower market

China is poised to maintain its position as the world's largest hydropower market through 2030, fueled by substantial investment and the expansion of Chinese companies into emerging and developing economies, said industry experts and company executives.

China has been leading globally in installed hydropower capacity and accounted for more than half of the world's new hydropower capacity additions last year, the International Hydropower Association said in a recent report.

Global hydropower capacity in 2024 grew by 24.6 gigawatts, 14.4 GW of which was contributed by China, accounting for nearly 60 percent of the total, thereby solidifying the nation's leading role in global hydropower development, the report said.

Furthermore, pumped hydro storage capacity accounted for more than half of China's hydropower capacity growth, with new capacity reaching 7.75 GW, it added.

The report said that China is on track to surpass its 2030 pumped storage hydropower target of 120 GW by more than 8 percent, potentially reaching 130 GW by the end of the decade.

Pumped hydro storage projects use electricity during periods of low demand to pump water to an upper reservoir, which is then released to generate electricity during peak demand periods, earning them the nickname of "super charging stations".

China's total installed hydropower capacity has reached approximately 436 GW, accounting for more than three-quarters of Asia's total, the report said.

Analysts said that China's continued investment in hydropower, especially pumped hydro storage stations, is becoming a crucial means of maintaining grid stability during its energy transition.

Zhang Zongliang, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering, expects significant market growth in the sector, prompted by the increasing integration of wind and solar power into the energy system.

Zhang said he believes that pumped hydro storage, which provides large-scale energy storage for renewable energy integration and flexible power regulation for the grid, ensures grid stability, power balancing and a reliable electricity supply.

China, with a vast territory of abundant site resources suitable for pumped hydro storage development, has over 1,500 potential pumped hydro storage sites, with a total potential installed capacity of 1.6 terawatts, he said.

As China actively builds a clean, low-carbon and efficient new energy system, with the large-scale, high-proportion development of new energy sources such as wind and solar, pumped hydro storage is set to enter a new era of development opportunities, he said.

According to the China Renewable Energy Engineering Institute, 23 new pumped hydro storage projects were approved in China last year, which further strengthened the country's position as the world leader in pumped hydro storage for the ninth consecutive year.

According to the institute, since the commissioning of China's first pumped hydro station in 1968, almost 90 years after the world's first facility was established in Zurich, Switzerland, the nation's expertise in this technology has matured through decades of practical application and technological accumulation.

China has also come up with a comprehensive industrial system and specialized development model, covering standard formulation, planning and design, engineering construction and equipment, it said.

Lin Boqiang, head of the China Institute for Studies in Energy Policy at Xiamen University, said that the government's policy of raising electricity prices during peak-demand times has incentivized storage providers, including pumped hydro operators.

This allows them to profit from selling stored power at higher prices, further boosting the sector's development, said Lin.

Increasing investment

China has consistently increased its investment in hydropower development in recent years.

State Grid Corp of China's new energy subsidiary completed a 36.5 billion yuan ($5.03 billion) capital increase and share expansion project last week, the largest cash fundraising in the history of the country's State-owned asset transactions.

Zhang Zhigang, executive chairman of the company, said the substantial capital injection will be entirely allocated to the construction of pumped hydro energy storage projects, an initiative seen as crucial for promoting high-quality development in the pumped hydro sector, accelerating the establishment of a new type of power system and contributing to the stable growth of the national economy.

The company currently has 75 pumped hydro power stations in operation or under construction, with a total capacity of 94 million kilowatts, making it the world's largest operator of pumped hydro facilities.

The investment project follows China's announcement on July 19 of the construction of a hydropower project in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River, which will consist of five cascade hydropower stations with a total investment estimated at around 1.2 trillion yuan.

By harnessing abundant hydropower resources, the project will also spur the development of solar and wind energy resources in surrounding areas, creating a clean energy base featuring a complementary mix of hydro, wind and solar power.