China plans to boost its installed hydroelectric power capacity to 300 million kW by 2015 from the current 200 million in an effort to cut carbon dioxide emissions, according to wire reports.

Government officials told media outlets that such an expansion is needed for China's goal to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) by 40 to 45 percent by 2020.

China promised at the Copenhagen Conference on global climate change last year that it would generate 15 percent of its power from non-fossil sources by 2020, up from the current 7.8 percent. China's current installed hydropower capacity is the world's highest, state-owned news agency Xinhua reported.

In other news, China Hydroelectric Corporation recently completed the acquisition of the Minrui small hydroelectric projects totaling 55.5 megawatts of installed capacity in Yunnan Province of China.

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