Wang Ping has worked in the hydropower industry for 30 years, starting his journey back in 1994.  

Having worked with companies such as Sinohydro, GE Hydro, China Huaneng Group and State Power Investment Corporation Limited (SPIC), he has participated in the construction of major hydropower projects in China and Myanmar.  

These include the 1200 MW Guangzhou Pumped Storage Hydropower (PSH) Project (Phase I), 1800 MW Zhejiang Tianhuangping PSH Project, the renowned Three Gorges Project and 21,600 MW Upstream Ayeyawady Hydropower Projects in Myanmar.

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During his career, he has seen the change in his home nation of China, as the country has transitioned from working mainly with imports to domestic production. China has become a leader in renewable energy generation with massive construction and delivery of projects including PSH in multiple Five-Year Plans, with a target for 120 GW by 2030.

With this in mind, China has a crucial role to play at this year’s COP29 in Azerbaijan. With the event ongoing, IHA spoke with Mr Wang about his hydropower journey since the first COP in 1995 to now – the changes he has witnessed first-hand and hopes for the future.  

Your career has spanned for 30 years this year with 29 COPs during this time. How have you seen hydropower change and modernise?

I started my career in hydropower in 1994, at one of the major pumped storage projects in Guangdong, Southern China.  

At that time, the Europeans supplied the equipment for the Guangzhou Pumped Storage Power Station (Phase 1), while the Chinese companies involved were tasked with construction. This station gave me my start in my hydropower journey; as I was able to learn technical drawings, the installation manual and all other technical aspects.  

The second station I worked at was Tianhuangping Pumped Storage Power Station in Anji, Eastern China. Once again, all the major equipment was imported from European manufacturers. But now, some of the key suppliers at this station and neighbouring Changlongshan, which I was lucky to visit earlier this year, are Chinese.

In 1994, the total installed capacity for hydropower in China was just shy of 50 GW. For perspective, this year, that figure now stands at 430 GW. There have been tremendous changes in this sector since I started – with China now having the largest hydropower fleet in the world.  

This shows the extent of the changes that I’ve witnessed during the last 30 years.

COP29 is currently underway in Baku. What are some of your hopes for this conference and why is hydropower an important part of reaching net zero?

This development actually ties into COP29 in Baku this year, because collaboration is critical to achieving net zero. Now as the West did in the past, China can play a key role as a source of knowledge in renewable energy technologies and resources.  

I believe many Chinese companies are more than willing to share their expertise in the sector. The changes I’ve witnessed in my career are just a snapshot – and if the world comes together to learn from one another, I’m hopeful we can achieve great things.  

I’ve also noticed China’s refocusing on best practice in terms of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG). Stakeholder engagement, community engagement and the human aspect of hydropower are all areas that have developed in importance since the mid-nineties.  

Hydropower integrating with other renewables will be crucial to China’s net zero goals and therefore the world’s net zero goals. COP29 provides the opportunity for these discussions to take place and fill any knowledge or skills gaps where necessary.  

This platform should be where countries like China share their technical innovation and the lessons learned during these past 30 years and what has been a very exciting and insightful career for me to date.

Learn more about IHA’s role at COP29 here.

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