Since the first hydropower station was built in Shilongba, Yunnan Province in 1910, China's hydropower industry has gone through a hundred years from scratch, from small to large, from weak to strong, and has made important contributions to national economic and social development. Further speeding up hydropower development is an important measure to strengthen the comprehensive utilization of water resources, optimize energy structure, promote energy conservation and emission reduction, cope with climate change, protect the ecological environment, promote the development of the western region, develop regional economy, build a new socialist countryside and achieve sustainable economic and social development. The task of the 12th Five-Year Plan is arduous and arduous. Under the new situation, we should adhere to the scientific outlook on development, implement the spirit of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 17th Central Committee, further emancipate the mind, firmly establish the sense of purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly, effectively solve the contradictions and problems encountered in the development of hydropower, and promote the scientific development of hydropower.

1. China's hydropower construction has made brilliant achievements, but also faces unprecedented challenges.

Before the founding of New China, the road of hydropower development was tortuous and difficult. In 1949, the total installed capacity of hydropower in China was only 360,000 kW. After the founding of New China, through the unremitting efforts of generations of hydropower workers, China's hydropower industry has made brilliant achievements. Especially in the past 30 years of reform and opening up, hydropower industry has achieved great-leap-forward development, and its achievements have attracted worldwide attention.

First, the scale of hydropower development has stepped up to a new level. As of August 2010, China's hydropower installed breaks through 200 million kilowatts, ranking first in the world. There are nearly 5 200 dams under construction and built over 30 meters, of which more than 140 are over 100 meters.

Secondly, the technology and management of hydropower construction have reached the advanced international level. A series of key dam construction technologies have made breakthroughs. Through introduction, digestion, absorption and re-innovation, the level of localization of hydropower equipment has been significantly improved. Successfully constructed a large number of hydropower projects representing the world's advanced level, such as the Three Gorges, Longtan, Xiaowan and Shuibuya, trained a large number of excellent professional and technical personnel and managerial personnel, and established a complete hydropower planning, design, construction, operation and management system.

Thirdly, it has exerted tremendous comprehensive benefits in flood control, drought resistance, water supply, power generation, shipping, irrigation, fisheries and tourism. For example, in the past 100 years, hydropower has accumulated 7 299 billion kilowatt-hours, which is equivalent to replacing 2.7 billion tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide by 7 billion tons.