China to develop ultra-high voltage power grid

Jul 30, 2005 Asia Pulse Data Source

BEIJING China will devote maximum effort to developing an ultra-high voltage power grid so as to complete construction of the grid by 2020, according to the State Power Grid Corporation (SPGC).

By 2020, the ultra-high voltage power grid will transmit more than 200 million kW of electricity, accounting for 25% of the national total installed capacity. According to an official in charge of the State Power Grid Corporation, the existing power grid in China is mainly made up by 500-kilovolt alternating current (AC) and 500-kilovolt direct current (DC) lines, with a maximum power transmission distance of 500 kilometers.

The ultra-high voltage power grid, with 1,000-kilovolt AC and 800-kilovolt DC lines, will have a power transmission distance of 1,000-1,500 kilometers, which will allow the SPGC to better satisfy the demand for power. A feasibility study for a pilot ultra-high voltage project has been completed.

The ultra-high voltage power grid may save the installed generating units 20 million kW of power, reducing the coal consumed for generating power annually by 20 million tons.

(Asia Pulse/XIC)