China's official Xinhua News Agency says China has completed its renovation of a hydropower station on the Amnok River, or the Yalu River, as it is called in China.

Xinhua said China's State Grid Corporation spent some 159-million yuan, or 26-point-two billion won, on the project, which took some 680 days. The news agency said the repairs greatly improved the plant's flood control, water storage, and water release capabilities. The agency also said China has transferred operating rights of the station to North Korea.

Construction on the Supung Dam and hydropower plant, which is some 80-kilometers from Sinuiju, began in 1937 and was completed in 1944, during Japanese colonial rule. It is capable of generating some 600-thousand kilowatts of electricity, which it provides to North Korea and Manchuria.

China and the DPRK jointly launched a power company to operate the hydropower station in 1955.