Following the connection of the final generating unit of the Yinjiang Hydropower Station to the power grid, Sichuan Province in southwestern China has reached a record level in hydropower development, with total installed capacity exceeding 100 million kilowatts. This figure accounts for approximately one quarter of China’s total hydropower capacity, underscoring Sichuan’s strategic role in the national energy system.
As a key hub within China’s west-to-east electricity transmission program, Sichuan exports nearly one-third of its annual electricity generation to other regions. Since the initiation of cross-regional power transmission in 1998, the province has delivered more than 1.9 trillion kilowatt-hours of clean electricity to central and eastern China, according to the State Grid Sichuan Electric Power Company. This volume is sufficient to meet the combined annual electricity demand of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui provinces.
Located on the Jinsha River in Panzhihua City, the Yinjiang Hydropower Station has a total installed capacity of 390,000 kilowatts. According to the project’s chief engineer, Yan Ruiping, once operating at full capacity, the plant is expected to generate over 1.6 billion kilowatt-hours of clean energy annually, corresponding to a reduction of approximately 1.3 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
Often referred to as the “province of a thousand rivers,” Sichuan possesses abundant hydropower resources, positioning it as a cornerstone of China’s renewable energy transition and low-carbon development strategy.