China's major hydropower project under probe for safety violations

One of China's major hydroelectric projects currently under construction in Fujian province faced allegations of serious safety violations after an investigation revealed the use of substandard material and sloppy construction practices.

The 7.5 billion yuan (USD 1.06 billion) Yongan power station, which is billed as a priority project safeguarding regional power stability and enhancing the green transition, faced investigation for cost cutting and serious safety violations, official media reported.

The reported malpractices have come under public scrutiny after state-run Economic Information Daily published an investigative report on Thursday that alleged substandard material use and sloppy construction practices.

The investigation claimed there were “serious quality defects” in the station's lower reservoir – a core hub of its power generation – and other problems which experts said could threaten the overall safety of the dam, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported on Monday.

The Power Construction Corporation of China, also known as PowerChina, said in a statement on Saturday that it “attached great importance to the matter”.

The company said it had set up an investigation group regarding the “quality issues” of the power station's construction.

“We will work with relevant parties to conduct a thorough investigation and handle the issue in accordance with laws and regulations.”

Construction of the project began in December last year on the lower reservoir for the pumped-storage power station. The system works by pumping water from there to an upper reservoir when electricity is abundant and releasing it during peak demand to generate power.

Since Beijing began stepping up development of pumped-storage hydroelectricity in 2021, policy support has fuelled a boom in project investments and construction across China.

In 2023, the National Energy Administration, however, warned of “overzealous project submissions” and noted that projects would suffer if there were insufficient preliminary studies, superficial planning and unclear demand, the Post report said.