The Altay-Zhunbei 750 kV power transmission and transformation project in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region went into service after a 72-hour trial operation on Oct 14, completing coverage in the region by a 750-kilovolt power grid.
With a total investment of 1.67 billion yuan ($249.99 million), the 341-kilometer line links Tacheng town and has 750kV transformer substations and 725 tower bases.
Construction of the project started in September 2018 and is expected to improve power transmission capacity to other regions by 2 million kW.
A single long-distance, large-capacity and low-loss ultra-high voltage (UHV) power grid is needed to fully cover the vast Xinjiang, which has rich energy resources.
With support of preferential policies to Xinjiang, State Grid Corporation of China (State Grid) completed the first 750 kV power line linking Xinjiang with the main grid in northwestern regions of China in November 2010. It was Xinjiang's first 750 kV transmission and transformation line.
The second such line went into operation in June 2013, improving capacity for power transmission out of Xinjiang by 2 million kW.
To transform Xinjiang's resources into an economic advantage and transport the region's energy nationwide, State Grid has invested 136.8 billion yuan in construction of a 750 kV backbone power network centered in Urumqi. The network covers all of Xinjiang, reaching Hami in the east, Bozhou and Ili in the west, Kashgar and Hotan in the south and Altay in the north.
So far, a total of 23 750kV transformer substations with an entire capacity of 57.5 million kilovolt ampere, and 56 power transmission lines with a total length of 7,764.73 kilometers have been built, which are expected to play a significant role in Xinjiang's economic and social development as well as local social stability.
In addition, the stable and reliable power grid contributes to power exportation.
It is recorded that 337.5 billion kWh of power had been transferred from Xinjiang to other regions by Sept 30, 2020, more than 90 billion kWh of which was new energy power.
The new energy-based power equals that produced by burning more than 29.15 million tons of standard coal and reduces emissions of 78.7 million tons of carbon dioxide, 248,000 tons of sulfur dioxide and 216,000 tons of nitrogen oxide, contributing to energy conservation and emission reduction in East and Central China.
Focusing on economic and social development as well as energy resource exploration, State Grid will continue to strengthen construction of power grids in Xinjiang during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) and will enhance construction of the third UHV direct current (DC) power line and plan the fourth UHV DC line to improve power export capacity.
The company aims to form a main power grid network which will include seven circle lines for power supply within the region and six lines to transport power out of Xinjiang by 2025.
A construction site of the Altay-Zhunbei 750 kV power transmission and transformation project in Xinjiang [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
A technician of State Grid inspects the electric wires to be hoisted. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
(Executive editor: Wang Ruoting)
