According to reports from Reuters, Shi Lishan, deputy director of new energy at the National Energy Administration (NEA), told Chinese national radio that he hopes the river – also known as the Salween – can be developed during the 12th Five Year plan (2011-2015).
Plans for hydro schemes on the river – one of the few yet to be dammed in China – were first announced back in 2004, but protests from environmental groups delayed development.
The Chinese Government estimates that potential hydro capacity of the river - which also flows through Myanmar and Thailand - is approximately 42GW.
