What changed
Mardang Hydropower Station in Qinghai generated more than 5 billion kilowatt-hours in 2026 by October 5, about 21.51% above the same period last year and its highest year-to-date total on record.
The Yellow River station, operated by China Energy Investment Corporation’s Qinghai company, also set a post-commissioning daily record on October 4, generating more than 50 million kilowatt-hours. Since its first unit joined the grid on April 1, 2024, it has produced 13.2 billion kilowatt-hours.
Why it matters
Mardang sits at an average elevation of 3,300 metres and has 2.32 million kilowatts of installed capacity. Its output serves demand in Qinghai while also moving through ultra-high-voltage transmission lines toward central and eastern China.
The stronger generation reflects two things working together: better inflows into the upper Yellow River since the flood season began, and dynamic reservoir scheduling through the station’s digital control system. Since July, the station says its units have achieved 100% accuracy in load adjustment.
That makes the record more than a single strong day. Mardang is becoming a larger operating piece of China’s west-to-east electricity system, where water conditions and dispatch decisions determine how much power can reach distant demand centres.
The station’s cumulative output is reported as equivalent to saving about 4 million tonnes of standard coal and avoiding roughly 14.84 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. How much of the additional electricity will ultimately be sent east, and what it will mean for regional power prices, remains unclear.
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