City transforms itself into clean energy capital
2025-11-08 19:11:21
By Yan Wanqin.
Yichang, famous as the home of the Three Gorges Dam, is transforming itself from the "hydropower capital of the world" into the "capital of clean energy."
In recent years, the city has leveraged its strengths in clean energy supply and mapped out an ambitious plan for emerging industries. A complete clean energy industry chain, covering production, storage, and application, is rapidly taking shape and driving the green development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.
Construction is advancing on key projects, including the Changyang Qingjiang Pumped Storage Power Station, which is on track to meet its 2025 milestone and put its first generating unit into operation by 2029.
Yichang, famous as the home of the Three Gorges Dam, is transforming itself from the "hydropower capital of the world" into the "capital of clean energy."
In recent years, the city has leveraged its strengths in clean energy supply and mapped out an ambitious plan for emerging industries. A complete clean energy industry chain, covering production, storage, and application, is rapidly taking shape and driving the green development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.
Construction is advancing on key projects, including the Changyang Qingjiang Pumped Storage Power Station, which is on track to meet its 2025 milestone and put its first generating unit into operation by 2029.
Conceptual rendering of the Changyang Qingjiang Pumped Storage Power Station.Yichang is emerging as a major national energy hub. Seven pumped storage stations in the city have been included in national plans, serving as "power banks" to help complement the renewable energy output. Meanwhile, local shale gas reserves have exceeded 500 billion cubic meters, positioning Yichang as a national demonstration zone for shale gas exploration.
The city is also becoming an important energy corridor as sections of the key national transmission network will soon begin operations. Examples include the Jinshang-Hubei 800-kilovolt ultra-high voltage direct current power transmission project and the Ningxia-Hunan ±800 kilovolt ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project.
Battery-grade iron phosphate precursor products roll off the production line at Hubei Xingyou New Energy Technology Co., Ltd.
Yichang is leveraging its rich phosphorus resources to develop the downstream new energy industry chain, from raw materials to battery manufacturing. At the Yidu Green Ecological Industrial Park of Xingfa Group, battery-grade iron phosphate precursor products are being mass-produced and supplied to leading firms such as BYD and CALB.
The city’s annual new energy battery production capacity has reached 80 GWh. It has also planned four major ship industrial parks, with a total investment exceeding 20 billion yuan (US$2.8 billion).
The Three Gorges Hydrogen Ship 1 sailing on the Yangtze River. Photo by Xiao Yijiu.
Yichang is also pioneering clean energy applications on the Yangtze River. An LNG pilot project has been put into operation in Zigui, while Yichang's shore power model has been promoted across the river basin. China's first hydrogen-fueled vessel, Three Gorges Hydrogen Ship 1, was launched here, marking a major step forward in green transport.
According to the Yichang Development and Reform Commission, the city’s total installed power generation capacity reached 31.62 million kilowatts by the end of 2024, with clean energy – mainly hydropower, wind, and solar – accounting for 93.5 percent of total electricity generation. In the first half of 2025, installed wind and solar capacity grew by 596,000 kW, up 32 percent from the end of 2024.
