CSG Lightens up North Guizhou Villages

All areas in Zunyi of Guizhou province became free of poverty this March, thanks in large part to China Southern Power Grid (CSG), which contributed to power supply and industrial promotion of Zunyi's villages.

The Zunyi power supply bureau established control centers and optimized four mechanisms to meet power demands.

From 2014 to 2019, the bureau invested about 8.63 billion yuan ($1.22 billion) to solve the unbalanced and inadequate development in the power grid in Zunyi and promoted an all-round upgrading and renovation of power infrastructure in poor areas.

Part of the investment, 2.88 billion yuan, was used in renovation of 10kV rural power grids or below, which greatly met electricity demands for daily life and production.

Workers at the Zheng'an power supply bureau in Zunyi monitor performance of the facility after upgrading and renovation. [Photo by Peng Henyu/Provided to sasac.gov.cn]

The upgrading and renovation projects increased the income of the local people. Take Huamao village in Bozhou district, Zunyi, as an example.

Since 2012, 6.15 million yuan had been invested in construction of a 14.73-kilometer 10 kV power transmission line and renovation of a 21.98-kilometer low pressure grid as well as construction of four distribution transformers.

A villager in Huamao village who runs a pottery craft business said that he bought a 15 kW electric furnace which can fire ceramics valued at 1,000 yuan at one time.

In 2014 before he was connected to the grid his business earned about 40,000 to 50,000 yuan each year. After the power grid was renovated, the annual income of his business rose to more than 200,000 yuan.

With strong power support, red and rural tourism has become a pillar industry in Huamao village. Several hotels and restaurants are now open, which increased villagers' disposable income from 8,000 yuan in 2014 to 17,000 yuan in 2019.

A villager in Chishui, a county-level city in the scope of Zunyi, said that his family could only use lights before 2015 because of the insufficient power supply. But since the grid renovation they can use all kinds of appliances including an induction cooker, refrigerator, and rice cooker as well as agricultural machines.

A grower of dendrobium officinale, one of the China's most precious medicinal herbs, in Wuqi village of Chishui said with excitement that after the grid renovation, he was able to access stable power which improved baking quality of the dendrobium officinale flowers and brought him more income.

The Zunyi power supply bureau has also launched several service stations at villages to quickly respond to users' power demands, which won respect from the villagers.

The power bureau has dispatched 94 employees to villages to help promote local industries to improve incomes and donated about 2.26 million yuan to poverty alleviation projects unrelated to the power field since 2017.

For example, 55-year-old Su Qingyuan was sent to Sanshui village in Suiyang town five years ago. During his stay, he proposed to launch a collective economy and brought in the edible mushroom industry and promoted photovoltaic projects.

The industries have increased the villages' annual per capital income by nearly 1,000 yuan and reduced the number of poor households to 43.

Geteng village of Bozhou district now has a vigorous farming and breeding industry thanks to Yang Hongtao, an employee of Bozhou power supply bureau which is a subordinate station of the Zunyi bureau.

The bureau founded a charity five years ago to help left-behind children and the aging without a family. More than 20 charity events have since been held.

In addition, the charity, joining hands with other power supply bureaus, invested and built a 120-meter long and 56-meter wide street in 2017 which has become a trade center for livestock, fruits and vegetables and traditional Chinese herbs.

The platform has promoted the village's economic growth and improved income of poor families.

The charity also raised such daily necessities as clothes, quilts, beds and furniture from the public, as well as funds for road construction and education.

Yuan Dahong, an employee at the Xishui power supply station and the envoy of the charity, has been devoted to helping poor students for the past five years.

In 2015, he established an education promotion association in Xishui town. So far, a total of 176 poor students have obtained help and nine study rooms have been built with funds raised by the association. There are now more than 1,800 volunteers working for the association.

Pupils draw pictures at a study room built by the education promotion association in Xishui town. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

The Zunyi power supply bureau intends to invest another 420 million yuan in 2020 to renovate the rural power grid to consolidate poverty alleviation achievements and promote village revitalization.

(Executive editor: Zhang Tianyuan)