China Plans Another Dozen Dams On Yangtze River System - AFP

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China plans to build a dozen hydroelectric power plants in the next 20 years with an installed capacity totalling 90.2 million kilowatts, state media reported Monday. The projects will be built on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, known as the Jinsha River, and on two upstream Yangtze River tributaries, known as the Yalong and Dadu Rivers, Xinhua news agency reported.

It quoted Cao Guangjing, deputy manager of the China Three Gorges Project Development Corporation, who said the installed capacity of each hydropower plant on the Jinsha, Yalong and Dadu will range from one million to 10 million kilowatts.

Construction of two of the plants, the Xiluodu and Xiangjiaba hydropower plants, has already begun on the Jinsha river and will have a combined installed capacity of 18.6 million kilowatts when completed, he said.

Cao's statements come despite heightened environmental concerns over building so many hydroelectric dams on the Yangtze and its tributaries. The central government is rethinking the ambitious plan and urging environmental impact studies for all projects.

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http://www.terradaily.com/reports/China_Moves_Ahead_With_Ambitious_Plan_For_More_Yangtze_River_Hydro_Power.html