China to Transfer Electricity to ThailandThe power departments of China and Thailand have formally signed an investment agreement on jointly developing Jinghong Hydropower Station in southwest China's Yunnan Province. Thailand will buy electricity from Yunnan which is rich in hydropower resources.The news was disclosed by deputy General Manager of Yunnan Power Group Co., Yang Xiangze, at the working conference on "west-east electricity transmission" held recently in Guiyang of Guizhou Province. . The Jinghong Hydropower Station, located in the suburb of Jinghong City in the southern part of Yunnan Province, and about 300 km from northern Thailand, is one of the planned eight step power stations on the middle and upper reaches of the Lancang River of Yunnan with an installed capacity of 1.5 million kilowatts. Yang said that according to the feasibility studies report approved by the State, the dynamic investment in the hydropower station is about 10 billion yuan. The Thai party will hold 70 percent share while the Chinese side will share the remaining 30 percent. It is initially planned that construction will begin in 2006. Beginning in 2013, Thailand will buy 1.5 million kilowatts from Yunnan each year. He disclosed that in order to guarantee Thailand's demand for electricity, Yunnan will also start the construction of another power station with an installed capacity of 5.5 million kilowatts which will begin in 2014 to transmit another 1.5 million kilowatts electricity to Thailand annually. By then, the total amount of electricity purchased by Thailand will reach 3 million kilowatts. According to Yang Xiangze, Yunnan has an exploitable installed capacity of 90 million kilowatts, 23 percent of the total of China. At present, the province's installed power generating capacity is 7 million kilowatts, 70 percent of which come from hydropower. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/ |