Meta Data
Title in national language: 
水电发展”十三五“规划
Draft: 
No
Revision of previous policy?: 
No
Draft Year: 
2016
Effective Start Year: 
2016
Effective End Year: 
2020
Scope: 
National
Document Type: 
Plan/Strategy
Economic Sector: 
Energy, Power, Industry
Energy Types: 
Power, Renewable, Hydropower
Issued by: 
National Energy Administration
Overall Summary: 
According to China's 13th Five-Year Plan and 13th Five-Year Plan for Energy Development, focusing on constructing the clean, low-carbon, high efficient and safe modern energy system, the plan outlines the hydropower development strategies, main targets and tasks, specifies the aims for hydro power development during 2016-2020.
Access
Energy access priorities: 
Priority should be given to the construction of hydropower projects in rural areas. [...]actively and fully use local resources, fully respect the wishes of local people and immigrants, scientifically make plans and accelerate the construction of major projects in rural pool areas, increase the support for hydropower development projects in rural areas, [...] turn the local resource advantages into economic advantages for poverty alleviation.
Renewable Energy
RE priorities: 
Priority should be given to the construction of hydropower projects in rural areas. [...]actively and fully use local resources, fully respect the wishes of local people and immigrants, scientifically make plans and accelerate the construction of major projects in rural pool areas, increase the support for hydropower development projects in rural areas, [...] turn the local resource advantages into economic advantages for poverty alleviation.
RE targets: 
Newly constructed power and pumped storage power stations should be around the 60 million kilowatts, the new operating hydropower will be 60 million kilowatts,by 2020 the total installed capacity of hydropower will reach 380 million kilowatts, of which conventional hydropower will be 340 million kilowatts, pumped storage capacity of million kilowatts, annual generation capacity will be 1.25 trillion kWh, equals 375 million tce, non-fossil energy consumption should present more than 50%. The "West to East" electricity transmission capacity should continue to expand, and by 2020, hydropower transmission capacity should reach 100 million kilowatts, and by 2025, the estimated installed capacity of hydropower in China will reach 470 million kilowatts, of which 380 million kilowatts of conventional hydropower will be about 90 million kilowatts, and the annual generation capacity will be 1.4 trillion kWh. ---By 2020, the conventional hydro power in the western region will reach 240 million kilowatts, account for 70.6% of the country, the development level will reach 44.5%. ---[...]In the eastern region, by 2020, conventional hydropower installed capacity will reach 100 million kilowatts, accounting for 29.4% of the country, the level of development reached 82.7%. ---In North China[...]By 2020, the installed capacity will be 8.47 million kilowatts[...] ---In East China: [...] by 2020 the installed capacity will be 12.76 million kilowatts,[...] ---In Central China: by 2020, the installed capacity will be 6.79 million kilowatts[...]. ---In Northeast region: [...] by 2020 installed capacity will be 3.5 million kilowatts[...]. ---In North-west region:[...].During the 13th Five-Year Plan, the new constructing hydropower will be about 600 million kilowatts. ---In Southern region: [...] by 2020, the installed capacity will be 7.88 million kilowatts ---During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, the new small hydropower under construction will be around 5 million kilowatts.
RE action plans: 
In the Southwest region, focus on Sichuan, Yunnan provinces, and Tibet Autonomous Region, with major projects as the focus, combined with the transmission channel construction, and actively promote the development of large hydropower base.. ---build six major hydropower bases[...] ---strictly control the development of small and medium hydropower.[...]maintain the ecological environment. ---Continue to implement the construction of green energy demonstration counties project in Tibet autonomous Region and areas in Sichuan, Yunnan, Qinghai and Gansu provinces, and in some remote minority ethnic areas. [...] ---[...]Accelerate the pumped-storage hydropower generation development.
Environment
Pollution level targets, PM10, PM2.5, SOx, NOx: 
During the "13th Five-Year Plan" period, hydropower will provide 5.6 trillion kWh of clean electricity to meet the electricity needs of China's economic and social development, which equals to a saving of 1.68 tce, reducing 3.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide emission, 12.5 million tons of sulfur dioxide, 13 million tons of Nitrogen oxides, [...].
Land use change for energy production purposes: 
[S]trictly control the development of small and medium hydropower.[...]maintain the ecological environment. ---[...]establish the punishment mechanism for small and medium hydropower development, ensure the ecological security responsibility.---To make an overall arrangement of the hydropower development and environmental protection, to strengthen the environmental feasibility studies, to promote the key rivers (river) hydropower planning work, strictly implement the evaluation requirements, to prioritize the ecological protection, and to implement the reasonable layout. Strengthen the environmental impact evaluation and assessment of hydropower projects, scientifically demonstrate the environmental rationality environmental rationality; to study and formulate scientific and effective environmental protection measures, focusing on the implementation of ecological flow protection, mitigation for water temperature change, aquatic ecological protection, and terrestrial ecological protection and other measures to effectively protect the watershed ecological [...]---[C]arry out the Yangtze River upstream hydropower development ecological protection and Jinsha River Basin hydropower development and ecological protection demonstration projects. To carry out the development of small and medium-sized watershed hydropower development evaluation,[...] taking into account the development of dry and tributary hydropower and its ecological environment, environmental protection, soil erosion problems [...], implement watershed ecological restoration work, strengthen ecological restoration works for the Min River, Blackwater River and other rivers.---optimize the operation of hydropower stations and improve the efficiency of water resources utilization.[...] co-ordinate power generation, flood control, water supply, shipping, irrigation, ecology, safety and other requirements [...]
Energy-water nexus: 
To make an overall arrangement of the hydropower development and environmental protection, to strengthen the environmental feasibility studies, to promote the key rivers (river) hydropower planning work, strictly implement the evaluation requirements, to prioritize the ecological protection, and to implement the reasonable layout. Strengthen the environmental impact evaluation and assessment of hydropower projects, scientifically demonstrate the environmental rationality environmental rationality; to study and formulate scientific and effective environmental protection measures, focusing on the implementation of ecological flow protection, mitigation for water temperature change, aquatic ecological protection, and terrestrial ecological protection and other measures to effectively protect the watershed ecological [...]---[C]arry out the Yangtze River upstream hydropower development ecological protection and Jinsha River Basin hydropower development and ecological protection demonstration projects. To carry out the development of small and medium-sized watershed hydropower development evaluation,[...] taking into account the development of dry and tributary hydropower and its ecological environment, environmental protection, soil erosion problems [...], implement watershed ecological restoration work, strengthen ecological restoration works for the Min River, Blackwater River and other rivers.---optimize the operation of hydropower stations and improve the efficiency of water resources utilization.[...] co-ordinate power generation, flood control, water supply, shipping, irrigation, ecology, safety and other requirements [...]
Energy Supply and Infrastructure
Energy mix: 
By 2020, the conventional hydro power in the western region will reach 240 million kilowatts, account for 70.6% of the country, the development level will reach 44.5%.---[...]In the eastern region, by 2020, conventional hydropower installed capacity will reach 100 million kilowatts, accounting for 29.4% of the country, the level of development reached 82.7%.
Infrastructure development priorities: 
Build the “West to East” energy base in south east Tibet Autonomous Region. ---Support the construction of hydropower electricity transmission channel base.---The "West to East" electricity transmission capacity should continue to expand, and by 2020, hydropower transmission capacity should reach 100 million kilowatts, and by 2025, the estimated installed capacity of hydropower in China will reach 470 million kilowatts, of which 380 million kilowatts of conventional hydropower will be about 90 million kilowatts, and the annual generation capacity will be 1.4 trillion kWh.
Regional integration priorities: 
[...]Strengthen cooperation, training and exchanges with Asia, Africa, South America and other countries, focusing on cooperations with "One belt, One Route" alongside nations. [...]---continue to deepen cooperation with neighboring countries. Relying on the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, to play the leading role of cooperation planning, and deepen cooperation with key countries such as Bangladesh, Myanmar and other key countries, and actively participate in Myanmar, Pakistan and other national river planning and its hydropower development preparation. Steadily promote cross-border river cooperation and development, fully use China and Southeast Asia regional cooperation, the Lancang River-Mekong cooperation mechanism, the Greater Mekong Subregion economic cooperation mechanism for China's hydropower capacity "to go out" and strengthen the regional interconnection of hydropower to create conditions to promote regional development
Cooperation in connectivity: 
continue to deepen cooperation with neighboring countries. Relying on the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, to play the leading role of cooperation planning, and deepen cooperation with key countries such as Bangladesh, Myanmar and other key countries, and actively participate in Myanmar, Pakistan and other national river planning and its hydropower development preparation. Steadily promote cross-border river cooperation and development, fully use China and Southeast Asia regional cooperation, the Lancang River-Mekong cooperation mechanism, the Greater Mekong Subregion economic cooperation mechanism for China's hydropower capacity "to go out" and strengthen the regional interconnection of hydropower to create conditions to promote regional development.---[...]Strengthen cooperation, training and exchanges with Asia, Africa, South America and other countries, focusing on cooperations with "One belt, One Route" alongside nations. [...]
Governance
Energy management principles: 
Improve the hydropower management system and mechanism. Establish hydropower industry management system in accordance with relevant laws and regulations of the country[...]. ---[...]Strengthen the cooperation within the central and local governments, between different departments, public and private sectors. improve the hydropower development service and management. strengthen the supervision for hydropower development.
National policy structure: 
Improve the hydropower development policy system. [...] improve the hydropower development policy system.
Technology
Clean energy technology transfer: 
[...]Strengthen cooperation, training and exchanges with Asia, Africa, South America and other countries, focusing on cooperations with "One belt, One Route" alongside nations. [...]
R&D renewable energy: 
R&D on seawater pumping energy storage[...]---[...]R&D on the establishment of digital watershed and digital hydropower, promote smart hydropower stations, smart grid[...]