China's hydropower policy goes beyond its borders

China is world's largest producer of hydrolectricity. China's current hydropower policy does not only include construction of large domestic hydro projects but also includes major investments into hydro projects in neighboring countries.

One of these countries is Pakistan. It was recently announced that China will invest $1.65 billion  to jointly develop $1.65bn Karot hydropower project with the Pakistan Private Power and Infrastructure Board.

The 720MW Karot hydropower project is being constructed on the Jhelum River in Kahuta Tehsil in Rawalpindi district, and is scheduled to be commissioned in 2020. Once developed, it should generate 3,436GWh of electricity annually for the power hungry Pakistan.

This represents the first investment of the $40 billion China's Silk Road Fund since its launch, and the deal has been signed on the sidelines of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Pakistan.

It was also announced that China plans to invest in 3,350MW of hydropower projects in Pakistan. Silk Road Fund is also able to extend the loans by partnering with Export-Import Bank of China and other financial institutions.

This announcement is another proof that China has become number one player in building and financing the hydroelectric power projects in Southeast Asia.

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Japan wants more small hydro systems

Japan plans to add more renewable energy not just to diversify its energy portfolio but also to step further away from going for more nuclear energy. One of the ways to seek more renewable energy is to go for more hydropower, or to be more precise small hydropower.

Japan's Ministry of Environment has put aside 300 million yen in its budget in order to carry out a nationwide survey into the viability of the small hydropower generators. Many of Japan's energy experts believe that small hydro systems can be installed at relatively small cost especially because they take very little surrounding area for installation.

It has been said that small hydropower installations installed on public waterworks are able to provide a more stable power supply than other types of renewable energy such as solar and wind that suffer from issues such as intermittency.

The general idea is to install turbines to benefit from gravity where water flows downwards from reservoirs to purification plants. The Ministry should study the feasibility of approximately 1,500 water utilities to identify locations throughout the country where the new generators could be installed.

The Ministry hopes that by using small hydropower country could reach an output equivalent to the power from one whole thermal power plant.

Small hydro will not only account for more renewable energy usage, it will also help decrease Japan's greenhouse gas emissions.

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China's second largest hydro plant starts operating

China's Three Gorges Dam is the world's largest hydroelectric power plant in the world. Hydropower continues to play significant role in China's energy mix, and the latest proof to this comes from the Jinsha river, between Leibo county of Sichuan Province and Yongshan county of Yunnan Province in southwest China where a few days ago, a first generator unit started operating in Xiluodu hydropower station.

Once fully constructed,  Xiluodu hydropower station, will become second largest hydropower station in the country, behind the Three Gorges Dam. It is expected that this plant will become fully operational by the end of 2014.

The total generating capacity of this huge hydro project is expected to be 13,860 MW. This project was halted in the past due to lack of environmental impact studies but Chinese government later restarted the construction. The environmental fears however still remain, and some believe that this new plant could cause major environmental damage like this was the case with Three Gorges Dam.

The total investment in this project is set to pass $7 billion mark. The Chinese government hopes that this new plant will not only add to power generation but also control sediment and flooding, as well as improving navigation downstream. It has been also announced that the power output of this hydro project will be equivalent to that generated by 41 million tons of coal.

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US to focus more on hydro with new hydropower bill?

Hydropower Improvement Act of 2013 - this is the name of the bill introduced by senators from Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Alaska. The purpose of this bill is to increase US hydropower capacity which should indirectly lead to growth in domestic job production.

Hydropower is very reliable, clean source of energy that today generates around seven percent of nation's total electricity, thus contributing to nation's energy security lot more than other more popular clean energy sources do (solar and wind).

Hydropower is environmentally friendly source of energy, the one that helps reduce total amount of greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change and global warming. It has been said that the US hydropower power plants avoid approximately 200 million metric tons of carbon emissions each year.

The US seems to have plenty of untapped hydropower resources at its disposal. The latest DOE assessment says that the U.S. has the potential for 300 gigawatts of additional hydropower. Many states have excellent hydropower potential- Alaska, for instance, has identified 200 promising sites for further hydropower development.

Many energy experts also say that hydropower is the most cost-effective clean energy option. This because hydropower has very long history of use and thus it doesn't require time to mature like solar, wind and other renewables.

Hydropower is certainly one of the best options if nation really wants to ensure low carbon economy in years to come. Hydroelectric power plant emit negligible amount of carbon emissions when compared with fossil fuel fired power plants. The overall low carbon footprint is of course beneficial for environment, especially because the climate change threat looms larger with each new day.

For starters, US should focus on streamlining the hydropower relicensing process and retrofitting existing structures for energy production because the major goal of this bill is to increase nation's hydropower capacity without spending too much and thus increasing the country's out-of-control deficit.

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UK needs sustainable hydro development

UK has very good hydropower potential. According to a 2010 report Environment Agency there are 26,000 energy hot spots where hydro power plants could be installed to generate electricity.

The government is also doing good work in promoting hydropower in form of subsidy schemes for renewable energy developers that can claim grant aid towards the cost of new hydro-electric power plants, while hydro electricity also qualifies for premium subsidized rates.

The government subsidies have certainly played their part in creating a rush to hydro as developers and consultants are trying to make the most of it while it lasts.  The latest report says that 225 schemes have been approved in England and Wales in the last four years, but so far there has been a very small electricity generation coming from these projects.

UK has plenty hydropower resources at its disposal.

There has also been protests coming from environmentalists and calls for Environment Agency guidelines (under which new schemes were approved) to be rewritten as soon as possible in order to prevent environmental damage.

Several reports claimed that there has been a significant decline in salmon migrating upstream because of the turbulence of water discharged from the generating screw. However, there is still no proof that the hydro plants are causing the decline in the numbers of salmon and sea trout.

The general conclusion is that all hydropower schemes need to be developed sustainably, in order to avoid environmental and economic damage in nearby area. Each hydropower scheme should be thoroughly examined with any possible environmental risk being fully considered.

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Hydro must compete against natural gas in Manitoba

The proposed investment of $13.4 billion to build two new hydroelectric plants in Manitoba is still up for debate, and the province has asked the Public Utilities Board to give an answer whether building these two new dams is really in province's best interests.

These two hydro projects could give Manitoba more clean energy in years to come, and thus satisfy the growing hunger for energy, not only in province, but in United States too, therefore providing conditions needed for major economic development of the area.

The main opposition to harnessing more hydro resources in province comes from natural gas proponents who argue that natural gas should get more closer look because it represents the cheaper energy option as compared to building new dams. The low natural gas prices have already reduced demand for Manitoba hydropower in United States, and this trend could likely continue in years to come. Canada is also among the world’s largest natural gas producers, and has plenty of natural gas reserves.

Natural gas is cheap because of the increased shale gas extraction, and the recession is still very much present in United States, meaning that the export sales to United States aren't exactly guaranteed, especially short-term speaking.

The destiny of Keeyask and Conawapa dam will be much clearer after the review is over, which should be done by the end of this year. Energy Minister Dave Chomiak explained that this review is standard for new mega-projects, and once done it will give an answer whether natural gas is better alternative to these two hydro projects.

Manitoba's Hydro that plans to build these projects has lost $43 million in the first half of this year. The company announced that these poor business results in the first half of the year were due to the infrastructure cost and reduced export sales, but are still confident to achieve a $30 million profit by the end of the fiscal year.

The Clean Environment Commission is about to held environmental hearings into Keeyask. Underway is also the assessment of Lake Winnipeg water levels.

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