What is China Southern power grid?

China Southern Power Grid (“Southern Grid”) is one of China’s two major state-owned power distributors that serve five southern provinces: Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou and Hainan. The region has witnessed a rapid build-up of power generation capacity, from 275 GW in 2015 to 350 GW in 2020.

Can China decarbonize the southern power grid by 2060?

Decarbonization of the Southern Power Grid in China is feasible by 2060 but requires converting a large cropland area to support solar and wind energy; expansion of hydropower will impact the transboundary rivers according to a power system optimization model set up for 2020–2060.

How to emancipate the grid from reliance on coal?

To emancipate the grid from its reliance on coal and achieve carbon neutrality, radical changes to the generation and transmission facilities are planned. This includes the expansion of solar and wind plants, as well as a massive expansion of the hydropower fleet that will add more than 32 GW of installed hydropower capacity.

Why is energy transition a pressing issue for the power sector?

As a result, the need for energy transition and to absorb more non-fossil “clean energy”, which includes nuclear, hydro and renewable energy in a more liberalised and integrated power market has become a pressing issue for the power sector.

What percentage of the CSPG generation mix is used by hydropower?

Another hefty fraction of the generation mix (roughly 22%) is accounted for by hydropower, with more than 32 GW deployed by 2060. In other words, 83%, 66%, and 100% of the available (new) capacity for solar, wind, and hydropower is exploited by 2060. Fig. 2: Capacity and generation mix over the period 2020–2060 in the CSPG.

What role do coal power plants play in the CSPG?

Coal power plants have historically been the dominant source of electricity for the CSPG (Fig. 1). Importantly, their role does not change significantly if grid decarbonization policies are excluded: in the Reference scenario (Table 1), coal still accounts for 33% of new capacity and about half of the generation mix in 2060 (Fig. 2).