Mr. Hu Siyi, Vice minister of Ministry
of Water Resources
（2008.12.15）
---Dear Committee Members，distinguished
guests:
Good morning!
It is especially of great importance
to hold the inauguration of the SHP Special Committee
of China Society of Hydroelectric Engineering today, at
the important 30th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up
and against the backdrop of the activity of "study
and practice the Scientific Outlook on Development"
carried out in the nationwide water sector to promote
the development and reform of water resources undertaking.
I hereby would like to avail myself of this opportunity,
on behalf of the Chinese Ministry of Water Resources,
to express my warm congratulations on the establishment
of SHP Special Committee and to extend my greetings to
all the participants here.
Hydro-energy resources is a clean and
renewable energy, rural hydropower constitutes an important
part of the rural infrastructure and people's livelihood
water resources. With the support of the state policies,
governments at various levels together with the masses
have carried forward the spirit of self-reliance and hard
struggle and vigorously exploited the abundant local hydropower
resources. In total, over 40,000 rural hydropower stations
have been erected nationwide with a total installed capacity
of over 50 million kW and an annual generation of over
150 billion kWh, which had accumulatively solved the electricity
problem for 0.3 billion rural people not accessible to
electricity, Electricity supply in 1/3 of China's counties
mainly relies on rural hydropower. Recent years have seen
the construction of 653 rural hydropower based primary
electrified counties and,409 rural hydropower based electrified
counties. The development of rural hydropower of those
old revolutionary, minority nationality, remote and poverty-stricken
areas in the central and western regions has speeded up
the development of the social- economy as well as brought
a dramatic change in people's life and mental attitude.
The pilot project and its expansion of "Replacing
Firewood with SHP" since 2003 have made great headway.
Leaders of the State Council evaluated highly of the project,
which not only scores economic, social and ecological
benefits, but also is an effective way to solve the issues
of the "agriculture, farmers and rural areas".
It is worthy to mention that rural hydropower, which features
decentralized and "small, quick, flexible" ,
has played an unique role in recovering power supply,
guaranteeing the grid safety, effectively reducing the
damage and promoting the diversification of regional power
supply after the unexpected low temperature, rainy snowing
and freezing disaster and May 12th Wenchuan seism in upper
half of this year.
Standing at the new start of history,
the rural hydropower is now embracing a precious opportunity
for its development. First of all, the Central Committee
of CPC and the State Council both attach great importance
to the rural hydropower development and regard it as part
of the important rural infrastructure. At the third plenum
of 17th Central Committee of Communist Party of China
which just closed up, it is required that we should step
up efforts to enhance infrastructure construction, increase
power supply in rural areas and improve people's living
as well as productive and living conditions. Secondly,
in order to apply the Scientific Outlook on Development
and promote the sustainable social and economic development,
the central government has geared up energy-saving, emission-reduction,
optimization of energy supply structure and the development
of clean and renewable energy. In addition, to counteract
the international financial crisis, the state has issued
a series of policies to expand domestic consumption and
considerably increase the input in the water sector. For
implementing the strategies of the Central Committee and
the State Council, the Ministry of Water Resources has
made it major work to develop livelihood related water
engineering including rural hydropower development. It
is required to increase investment in rural hydropower
development ,and fully implement Planning of the Project
of Replacing Firewood with SHP from 2009 to 2015 ,continue
to promote the construction of the hydropower based rural
electrification.
In recent years, China's rural hydropower
development witnesses an unprecedented progress. However,
it still faced many contradictions and problems caused
by the profound change of construction and management
environment. In some places, due to the weak management,
delayed planning and lack of corresponding laws and regulations,
problems of different degrees still exist, such as the
seizure of hydropower resources, disordered development,
environment degradation and deviation from farmers' benefits,
drawing great concern of the society. There are also other
problems impacting the sustainable development of rural
hydropower, like the management system, investment mechanism,
integration to grid, pricing, taxation and technological
innovation. Nowadays, ecological and environmental protection
has been a factor that constrains the rural hydropower
development. Therefore, it is required that we step up
efforts in environmental protection while developing the
rural hydropower and to coordinate well the relationship
between hydropower development and environmental protection,
minimize the negative impacts and maintain the sound condition
of the rivers.
Confronted with both new opportunity
and challenge, it is necessary to insist on taking the
Scientific Outlook on Development as our guidance and
give overall consideration to farmers' benefits, local
development, environmental protection and ecological construction,
taking the road of scientific, orderly and sustainable
development. We should strengthen hydropower resources
management, implementing the system of paid utilization
of hydropower resources and its marketing allocation.
Moreover, we should reinforce safety supervision strictly,
follow the capital construction procedures and tighten
the engineering quality management. We should increase
the investment in rural hydropower development, accelerate
the project of "Replacing Firewood with SHP"
and the construction of hydropower based rural electrification.
It is also required to enforce the legal construction,
for providing legal protection for rural hydropower development;
promote the technological advancement, improve the system
of technical standards and popularize the advanced technology
and management experience, push the modernization of rural
hydropower.
Academic society is the bridge and
connection between the government as well as the Party
and the massive technical professionals. The SHP Special
Committee gathers the technical and management elites
in the rural hydropower sector, which takes non-replicable
professional advantage over other institutions and organizations.
It will play a vital role in the rural hydropower development,
especially in policy research, technical advancement,
experience exchange and personnel training. I would like
to take this opportunity to give some advices and requirements
to the committee:
First, be a good consultant. SHP Special
Committee's work should put importance round central tasks
and serve for overall situation, in combination closely
with people's livelihood water work. Consolidate the research
of key issues with impact on overall situation and important
issues of social broad concern in accordance with the
new changes and characteristics of rural hydropower development.
Be a good consultant for the scientific development of
small hydropower..
Second, attach importance to technical
innovation. Rural hydropower has wide coverage, strong
specialization and complicated technology. The committee
is required to meet the technological need of rural hydropower
development, gather experts' wisdom, act as the scientific
and technological platform, follow the advanced scientific
and technological achievements both at home and abroad.
Let the technical innovation support and lead the healthy
and sustainable development of the rural hydropower.
Third, strengthen personnel training.
In conformity with new requirements of rural hydropower
development, a variety of personnel trainings should be
conducted to help the whole rural hydropower staff know
timely about the developing trend and the state of arts
in this field, trace and enter the frontier of the science
and technology. In addition, you should also actively
engage in holding academic seminars and high-level technical
exchange activity, substantially enhancing the extensity
and intensity of members' participation in those activities.
Fourth, enhance cooperation and exchange.
We should bring the characteristics of cross-industry,
cross-region, cross-sector and inter-discipline as well
as technological and talent advantages of the committee
into full play. Besides, we should establish wide contact
with governments, enterprises, institutes, universities
and related associations to conduct exchange and cooperation.
It is likewise important to broaden channel to exchange
and cooperate with our foreign counterparts to adopt the
advanced technology and experience from foreign countries
and at the same time introduce China's experience in SHP
development to the foreign countries, push China's SHP
technical products with its own intellectual property
right to go global .
Last but not least, under the guidance
of the Scientific Outlook on Development and the leadership
of China Society of Hydroelectric Engineering and the
Ministry of Water Resources, SHP Special Committee is
hoped to fully explore the wisdom and expertise of all
the committee members ,boldly innovate and practise ,and
make positive contributions to China's rural hydropower
development.
I wish it a great success. Thank you!
(2008-12-24)
