China puts into operation a 2,320 MW hydroelectric power plant at an altitude of 3,300 meters and develops a 31.12 GW complex to integrate hydro, solar, wind, and storage energy on the upper Yellow River.

Written by Alisson Ficher

Published on 27/04/2026 at 20:03

Updated on 27/04/2026 at 20:04

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Energy structure gains scale with high-altitude hydroelectric plant integrated with renewable sources and storage systems in western China, expanding clean generation capacity and connection to the national long-distance transmission grid.

China has completed the commissioning of the Maerdang Hydropower Plant in Qinghai, on the upper reaches of the Yellow River, bringing together 2,320 MW of installed capacity at an average altitude of 3,300 meters in a large-scale energy project.

In addition to hydropower generation, the structure now functions as the core of an integrated base combining different renewable sources and storage systems, achieving a planned capacity of 31.12 GW within the same energy territory.

High-altitude hydroelectric plant in western China

Located in the country’s northwest, the plant had its five units connected to the electricity grid by December 31, 2024, consolidating its full operation within the national strategy for expanding clean energy supply.

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Energy generation and emissions reduction

Since the connection of the first unit to the grid in April 2024, the hydroelectric plant has already accumulated a generation of 3.5 billion kWh, demonstrating the practical role of the undertaking in large-scale electricity supply.

According to data released by Xinhua, this volume corresponds to an approximate saving of 1.07 million tons of standard coal, in addition to avoiding the emission of about 3.98 million tons of carbon dioxide.

At the same time, official projections indicate that the hydroelectric plant is expected to achieve an average annual generation exceeding 7.3 billion kWh, reinforcing its relevance within the regional and national electrical system.

31.12 GW hybrid complex on the Yellow River

More than an isolated unit, the project was conceived to function as the axis of a clean energy complex that integrates hydro, solar, wind, and storage generation within the same territorial base.

In this arrangement, the total planned capacity reaches 31.12 million kW, with an expected average annual generation of 48 billion kWh when all structures are fully developed.

It should be noted that this production volume refers to the integrated complex as a whole, while the estimated generation of the hydroelectric plant corresponds to only a portion of this total energy.

Integration between renewable sources and system stability

China activates 2,320 MW hydroelectric plant in Qinghai and advances with 31 GW complex integrating hydro, solar, wind, and storage energy.

Based on this configuration, the project expands the traditional role of hydroelectric plants by integrating them with other renewable sources, creating a more diversified and operationally complementary system.

While hydropower generation ensures stability and dispatch capacity, solar and wind sources contribute with variable production, expanding the volume of clean energy available in the system.

In this scenario, storage systems play a strategic role in balancing supply during periods of production variation, allowing greater operational flexibility for the energy complex.

With the connection to the west-east transmission program, the undertaking gains national reach, overcoming the logic of regional service and integrating into a long-distance network.

Thus, electricity generated in Qinghai can be directed to industrial and urban regions in the east, where energy demand is significantly higher.

Strategic role in China’s energy matrix

The project’s relevance is associated with the combination of technical and geographical factors that rarely converge in a single energy infrastructure initiative.

A hydroelectric plant with 2,320 MW of installed capacity at an altitude of 3,300 meters already represents a large-scale undertaking within the global electricity sector.

When integrated into a hybrid complex exceeding 30 GW, this structure becomes part of a broader strategy aimed at diversifying and expanding China’s energy matrix.

Maerdang’s advancement comes at a time when the country seeks to increase the share of renewable sources without compromising the security and stability of electricity supply.

In this context, the adoption of integrated bases allows for the exploration of different natural resources available in the same region, reducing dependence on a single generation source.

China activates 2,320 MW hydroelectric plant in Qinghai and advances with 31 GW complex integrating hydro, solar, wind, and storage.

In Qinghai, this combination becomes particularly viable due to the simultaneous presence of rivers, areas with strong solar incidence, and favorable conditions for wind generation.

Furthermore, the use of storage contributes to making the system more adaptable to climatic variations and different production profiles throughout the day.

The hydroelectric plant also reinforces the strategic importance of the upper Yellow River as an axis of energy development, concentrating projects capable of supplying electricity on a large scale.

Thus, Maerdang takes a central position within the reorganization of the regional energy matrix, expanding its relevance within national planning.

The scale of the undertaking helps explain international interest in the project, especially due to the combination of high altitude, large installed capacity, and integration with multiple renewable sources.

Few projects simultaneously combine long-distance transmission, energy storage, and diversified production in a single operational base.

Despite this, available public data still primarily focuses on installed capacity, generation volumes, and the structure of the energy complex.

Detailed information on local environmental impacts does not appear with the same level of precision in the records released so far.

China puts into operation a 2,320 MW hydroelectric power plant at an altitude of 3,300 meters and develops a 31.12 GW complex to integrate hydro, solar, wind, and storage energy on the upper Yellow River.

Energy structure gains scale with high-altitude hydroelectric plant integrated with renewable sources and storage systems in western China, expanding clean generation capacity and connection to the national long-distance transmission grid.

High-altitude hydroelectric plant in western China

Energy generation and emissions reduction

31.12 GW hybrid complex on the Yellow River

Integration between renewable sources and system stability

Strategic role in China’s energy matrix

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China puts into operation a 2,320 MW hydroelectric power plant at an altitude of 3,300 meters and develops a 31.12 GW complex to integrate hydro, solar, wind, and storage energy on the upper Yellow River.

Energy structure gains scale with high-altitude hydroelectric plant integrated with renewable sources and storage systems in western China, expanding clean generation capacity and connection to the national long-distance transmission grid.

High-altitude hydroelectric plant in western China

Energy generation and emissions reduction

31.12 GW hybrid complex on the Yellow River

Integration between renewable sources and system stability

Strategic role in China’s energy matrix

The Soviet Union spent 22 years drilling into the Earth’s crust and reached a depth of 12,262 meters — they found water where it was thought impossible, hydrogen bubbling from the rock, granite that is 2.7 billion years old, and temperatures of 180 degrees that melted the drill bits.

Norway is drilling 27 kilometers of rock 392 meters below the bottom of a fjord to build the world’s largest and deepest underwater road tunnel — when completed, a 21-hour journey will be reduced to 10.

Chinese engineers begin filling a 217-meter dam at an altitude of 3,000 meters and prepare a 2,240 MW hydroelectric power plant to integrate hydropower, solar, and wind energy in the upper Jinsha.

A German architect built a cylindrical house in 1994 that rotates to follow the sun throughout the day, generates 5 times more energy than it consumes, and was the world’s first energy-positive house.

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