By the end of Sept 30, Zhejiang had fulfilled the environmental protection task assigned by the central government to close and rectify the province's 3,083 small-scale hydropower stations.

In December 2018, the Ministry of Water Resources, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, and the National Energy Administration jointly published instructions on rectifying small-scale hydropower stations in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, which encompasses 11 provinces and municipalities, including Zhejiang.

Zhejiang is home to a large number of small-scale hydropower stations, which were once significant contributors to the local economy. However, most of their initial designs did not take sufficient measures to reduce the impact on the environment.

The hydropower stations are now being renovated to be more environmentally friendly.

According to villagers in Huiping township, Qujiang district, Quzhou, the township's seven-kilometer-long Zhixi River is lined with five small-scale hydropower stations which previously cut off or dried up half of the river from August to April. The stations' water discharges have now been improved and the ecosystem of the river's lower reaches has been restored.

A total of 381 hydropower stations were closed during the province's rectification campaign. Some of them were refitted for other purposes. For example, the Longwang Hydropower Station located in Anji county, Huzhou, has been renovated into a homestay hotel and has been popular among the younger generation.

According to Liao Chengbin, director of the Zhejiang Water Resources and Hydropower Administration Center, Zhejiang authorities are currently instructing all localities to establish platforms to regularly monitor the water discharges of small-scale hydropower stations.