China seen quietly opening sluice for mega hydro projects

[phantom power]

BEIJING (Reuters) - China may have quietly opened the floodgates to build new massive hydropower projects after a near halt due to environmental, immigration and other concerns, as Beijing steps up efforts to achieve clean energy and emissions targets.

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) agreed in late October for China Three Gorges Power Corp (CTGPC) to proceed with early-stage studies of the 8.7-gigawatt (GW) Wudongde and 14-GW Baihetan hydropower projects, according to CTGPC.

In July, the NDRC formally approved construction of the 2.4-GW Jin'anqiao hydropower project.

China's Ministry of Environment Protection also gave clearance in July to China Huadian Corp's 2.16-GW Ludila and China Huaneng Group's 1.7-GW Longkaikou hydropower plants, two projects already under construction but halted from June last year because they lacked mandatory environmental impact assessments.

All five projects are on the Jinsha River, the largest tributary to the Yangtze River.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/11/16/worldupdates/2010-11-16T124240Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_-529426-1&sec=Worldupdates

[DCKit]

1. There must be a high percentage of climage change deniers in China too.

Hydro + Drought = Blackouts