Bi Yaxiong: The Yangtze River Three Gorges Hydropower Project needs large-scale power grids

“Hydropower development and power grid construction draw lessons from past experience, and at the same time, we must combine hydropower, power grids, new energy, and energy conservation and emission reduction, and cooperate from the perspective of national energy strategies.” Vice President of China Three Gorges Corporation, Bi Yaxiong, told the reporter. The Three Gorges Group needs to build a world-class clean energy group focusing on large-scale hydropower to contribute to energy conservation and emission reduction. The biggest problem to be solved during the 12th Five-Year Plan is how to use water resources more scientifically and reasonably. Hydropower is one of the major functions of the comprehensive role of water resources. The fullest use of hydropower benefits cannot be achieved without a scientific, strong and stable grid.

The grid supports the scientific operation of the Three Gorges Project. Reporter: Last year, the Three Gorges Power Station and the Three Gorges Power Transmission and Transformation Project all achieved historic breakthroughs. What's your comment on this?

Bi Yaxiong: Since the initial construction of the Three Gorges Project was completed in 2009, the first successful test of water storage to a normal water level of 175 meters was completed on October 26, 2010. At present, the monitoring shows that normal operation of all aspects indicates that the project has met the functional requirements of the original design and began to fully play its comprehensive benefits and has been tested. Especially in the last flood season last year, the catastrophic flood peaks were put into storage and the storage of the Three Gorges Reservoir reduced the huge pressure of flood control downstream. Under this premise, the Three Gorges-Gezhouba cascade hydropower station generated a total of 1006.1 million kilowatt-hours of electricity in the year, and the Three Gorges hydropower station set a new record of 1,233,000 hours (rated) output of 1,220,000 kilowatts.

The scientific, safe and efficient operation of the Three Gorges Project cannot be separated from the support of the State Grid. Over the years, the Three Gorges Group and the State Grid Corporation of China have played an important role in promoting the safe and efficient operation and development of the national power system in an attitude of mutual trust, understanding and support. The development of large hydropower has promoted the formation of large-scale cross-regional power grids and national networking, and has achieved corresponding scientific and technological progress. As part of the Three Gorges Project, the construction and operation of the Three Gorges Power Transmission System and the Three Gorges Project both overcome many difficulties and form a unique relationship of mutual support. The State Grid Corporation of China has achieved remarkable innovations in its technological innovation and management model, and was awarded the 2010 National Science and Technology Progress First Prize.

The UHV and smart grids are all aimed at optimizing the allocation of resources. Reporter: Under the “12th Five-Year Plan” period, what plans have the Three Gorges Group plans to accelerate the development of hydropower?

Bi Yaxiong: To develop a low-carbon economy, we must adjust the energy structure. As a developing country, China must first make good use of clean, renewable and traditional energy sources. Under the premise of solving environmental and immigration problems, hydropower is the most traditional, most mature technology, lowest cost, and most promising clean energy. Faced with a new round of energy structure adjustment, energy conservation and emission reduction, and the need for economic development in the western region, while drawing on experience, it is necessary to combine hydropower, power grids, new energy, and energy-saving and emission reduction, and carry out cooperation from the perspective of national energy strategies.

The Chinese government promises that by 2020, non-fossil energy in China will account for about 15% of primary energy consumption. The four giant power stations at Xiluodu, Xiangjiaba, Wudongde and Baihetan at the lower reaches of the Jinsha River during the “Twelfth Five-Year Plan” period will account for an important share of non-fossil energy supply. The total installed capacity of Xiangjiaba and Xiluodu is nearly 20 million kilowatts, and it will be put into operation around 2015. Wudongde and Baihetan are undergoing preliminary work to prepare for the “12th Five-Year Plan” with a total installed capacity of about 23 million kilowatts. To achieve the planning objectives, the Three Gorges Group must rely on the advantages accumulated over many years to complete the construction of the hub project with high efficiency and high quality. It is also necessary to scientifically and rationally plan and construct the power grid to realize the optimal allocation of clean energy for large hydropower bases. This is a major event that requires scientific operations.

Reporter: What are your views on how to do scientific research?

Bi Yaxiong: First, the Three Gorges Group and I personally strongly support the State Grid Corporation of China in its strategy of developing UHV. UHV construction should go forward with great strides. The Xiangjiaba-Shanghai UHV DC project has been completed and the Xiluodu-Zhexi UHV DC project has carried out preliminary thematic evaluations. The UHV project has a direct guarantee for the layout and optimal allocation of large hydropower bases. Large hydropower bases need large platforms and large passages, especially the transportation of hydropower in the Southwest, making the construction of UHV projects more necessary. As a world-leading innovation, UHV has the responsibility and ability to occupy the high ground of electromechanical technology, leading the grid construction and large hydropower development.

Second, we must actively cooperate with the construction of a smart grid. We agree that smart grids should be broad and interactive. "Interactive" means that power, grid and users are all part of the smart grid. Based on the informationization and automation of the past, we must build a digital unit, a power station, and a watershed, and further push the power station, the reservoir hub, and the watershed further into intelligence. The Three Gorges Group and the State Grid Corporation of China are the first batch of innovative companies in the country. Cooperation in this area is more demanding and more promising. We are confident that under the guidance of the scientific concept of development, we will achieve breakthroughs in intelligence as we did in the construction and operation of the Three Gorges Project.

The essence of UHV and smart grids is to optimally allocate resources. Only when the grid layout is scientific and strong and stable, will the scientific structure and rationality of energy structure adjustment and allocation, especially across large regions, not be compromised.

Reporter: How to understand "full river basin intelligence"?

Bi Yaxiong: The biggest difference between hydropower development and other power supply development lies in its versatility and multi-targets. Water is inseparable in a watershed. The multifunctional applications of water resources (such as shipping, irrigation, power generation, etc.) need to be scientifically and optimally handled, and the various functions of cascaded power stations must be planned as a whole in order to achieve multi-functional unified dispatch and comprehensive utilization. To this end, we specifically organize multiple parties to jointly carry out a "ratio dispatching" study, not only collecting information on hydropower stations and reservoirs that analyze mainstream flows, but also integrating as much as possible the tributary information of diverse entities to achieve scientific and unified dispatch. Of course, conflicts such as flood prevention, power generation, shipping, and irrigation will be contradictory. Through joint dispatching, the ecological, social, and economic relations of different functions will be handled properly, and the harmony between the project and the river basin and the harmonious coexistence of human and nature will be achieved.

The power grid corresponding to the power generation function is an integral part of the whole basin. The effect of multi-functional integrated application is inseparable from the power grid and directly related to the safe operation of the power grid and economic benefits.

The power supply and the big power grid are inseparable. Reporter: The Three Gorges Group, which aims to build a world-class clean energy group, in addition to accelerating the development of large-scale hydropower, what new cooperation with the State Grid Corporation of China?

Bi Yaxiong: Before accepting your interview, I have just discussed with the State Grid Corporation leadership about future strategic cooperation. According to the plan, during the “12th Five-Year Plan” period, the Three Gorges Group will double its installed capacity and double it again by 2020. In addition to the historical mission of developing large hydropower, new energy and overseas business must make substantial progress on the basis of research, brewing and accumulating resources during the “Eleventh Five-Year Plan” period. The development of new energy based on wind power is the second largest business of the Three Gorges Group. In the areas of supporting power grid planning, grid-connected technologies and security, it is necessary to conduct extensive exchanges and close cooperation with the State Grid Corporation of China. In the aspect of internationalization strategy, we have a clear-cut attitude. We are fully relying on the power grid, combining strengths, and exerting our respective technological advantages, organizational advantages, and international credit advantages to jointly promote the joint development, construction, and operation of large overseas power sources and large power grids.

The inseparable relationship between the large power supply and the large power grid will closely link the Three Gorges Group and the State Grid Corporation of China, and will also promote both parties to play their respective advantages in the future cooperation and make them bigger and stronger.