Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
gained applied experience, the government adopted a policy of allowing
selective competition in order to push domestic entities to higher levels of
performance.
88
Similarly, in wind power development, the Chinese govern-
ment initially established local content regulations in order to ensure that
Chinese irms were given the chance to develop manufacturing competency
and scale. Once Chinese wind power manufacturers became established,
these regulations were relaxed.
89
hird, it has become increasingly apparent to CPC energy planners that
the transition to wind power depends on improving the capacity to deliver
wind power from geographically remote supply regions to coastal demand
centers. Consequently, the CPC is currently pursuing plans to spend billions
over the next 20 years to enhance grid coverage and resiliency. For example
in 2007, the government awarded a contract to Siemens to construct a 1400
km high-voltage 800 kV DC transmission system with 5000 MW of capacity
to connect Yunnan to Guangdong. Another project is now underway to con-
nect Xinjiang's wind power riches to the rest of China. here is also a 1100
km long power line being constructed between Qinghai and Tibet that will
cost roughly US$850 million (about US$772,000 per kilometer) due to the
complexity of the terrain to traverse. Overall, it has been estimated that on
average a 500 kV, 250,000 kV amp transmission line costs about $220,000
per kilometer in China.
90
In other words, although there is awareness that
grid infrastructure needs to be improved, such projects take time and the
sheer cost of expanding coverage and enhancing grid resilience forces poli-
cymakers to make some delicate iscal trade-ofs.
91
In the short term, this
dilemma enhances the attractiveness of larger nuclear and coal-ired gen-
eration plants that can be located near existing grid connections and partly
explains the government policy of encouraging the development of wind
farms of 100 MW or more.
92
As the grid fortiies, the technological barriers to connecting renewable
energy installations begin to diminish; however, in the meantime, China's
pragmatic political ideology sees the government directing its state-owned
utilities to commission increased capacity in coal-ired power plants in order to
prevent disruption to the electricity supply. Nevertheless, just because China
is still building coal-ired power plants at a remarkable pace, this should not
be misconstrued to infer that China is not interested in weaning itself from
a dependence on coal-ired power. he social, technological, and economic
signs that China needs to transition away from coal-ired power are clear and
well understood in political circles. Pollution, dwindling coal reserves, coal
price inlation, the capricious behavior of coal markets, and the congestion
of China's rail networks caused by coal transportation are all inluencing CPC
energy policymakers to endorse wind power development.
