14 Dec 2011 06:57
hydropower globally is five times current production based on 2008 data.
It said China had developed 24 percent of its potential, the United States 16 percent and Brazil 25 percent and that by 2050, global hydropower generation could nearly double.
For China, India, Brazil, the Democratic Republic of Congo and others, that means more dam developments in a world where nations are under pressure to cut fossil fuel emissions. Brazil approved the 11.2 GW Belo Monte dam, the world's third largest, in June, while the DRC and South Africa last month signed a deal for a multi-billion dollar project.
"I think eventually there will be real problems. The whole hydropower sector is now in full gear and at full capacity to expand as fast as it can," said Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, which monitors China's water supplies.
"We are pressing to the very corners of our territory. If they continue at this speed, quite soon they are going to finish the damming of all our major rivers and at that time, the whole industry will hit a wall," he said.
(Additional reporting by David Stanway in Beijing, Frank Jack Daniel in New Delhi, Biswajyoti Das in Guwahati and David Fogarty in Singapore; Writing by David Fogarty; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
(david.fogarty@thomsonreuters.com; +65 6403 5662; Reuters Messaging: david.fogarty.reuters.com@reuters.net))
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