BEIJING, Apr. 8, 2010 (Xinhua News Agency) -- China's total power installed capacity is expected to hit 950 million kilowatts by the end of 2010, of which, 700 million kilowatts or 73.68 percent, are thermal power.
By the end of 2009, installed capacity of thermal power took up 74.6 percent of national total.
This year China is predicted to start construction of generating units with installed capacity totaling 70 million kilowatts, including 45 million kilowatts of thermal power projects.
According to statistics, there are 178 million kilowatts of power generation capacity under construction by the end of 2009, including 80 million kilowatts of thermal power, 96.2 million kilowatts of hydropower, nuclear power and wind power. Since construction of nuclear power generation saw apparent increase in 2009, under-construction generation capacity of hydropower and nuclear power exceeds that of thermal power by 10 million kilowatts.
Hao Weiping, vice direct of Electric Power Department of the National Energy Administration, showed that combined installed capacity of hydropower, nuclear power and wind power would account for 26 percent of the national total by the end of 2010, one percentage points more than one year earlier. Installed capacity of thermal power would maintain growth and exceed 700 million kilowatts, up 7.4 percent on year, but its percentage in total installed capacity would drop one point for the second consecutive year.
In the past four years, China's power structure has gone through big changes with investments in thermal power declining, small power plants shut down and development of clean energy encouraged.
According to statistics by China Electricity Council, China invested 371.13 billion yuan in power construction in 2009, and investments in thermal power industry has shrunk from 71.1 percent of national total in 2006 to 40.2 percent in 2009 at 149.21 billion yuan.
Meanwhile, it shut down small thermal power generating units with installed capacity totaling 26.17 million kilowatts in 2009, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Industry.
At present, China's five power giants have had power generating units with installed capacity of 300,000 kilowatts and above make up more than 80 percent of their thermal power installed capacity on average.
Huaneng Group, the largest power generator in China, had installed seven 1-million-kilowatt generating units. Datang started operation of 13 sets of super critical and ultra-high super critical generation units in 2009, with installed capacity amounting to 9.14 million kilowatts.
Meanwhile, the five power giants made great efforts in developing clean energy. China Power Investment Corp increased its electricity output of clean energy to 30 percent of total in 2009. Huaneng also raised its installed capacity of clean energy to 15 percent of total by the end of 2009. (Edited by Li Xiaohui, lixh@xinhua.org)
