China's ultra-high voltage project begins power operation

An aerial drone photo shows staff checking cables of the Hami-Chongqing ±800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project, in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 13, 2025. [Xinhua]

In the blink of an eye, within a span of 0.007 seconds, electricity generated from China's wind-and-solar-rich Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region was transmitted to the energy-hungry Chongqing Municipality, located 2,260 kilometres away.

The State Grid Corporation of China on Tuesday announced the operation of the ±800 kV ultra-high voltage (UHV) direct current transmission project linking Xinjiang's Hami with southwest China's Chongqing.

This marks China's third major project to transmit electricity from energy-rich Xinjiang to other parts of the country.

An aerial drone photo shows a view of the Xinjiang section of the Hami-Chongqing ±800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project, in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Oct. 30, 2024. [Xinhua]

Xinjiang is a key sending hub in China's west-to-east power transmission program. The new transmission line is expected to deliver more than 36 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually to Chongqing's power load centre, more than half of which derives from new energy sources. The application of new energy equals saving approximately 6 million tonnes of coal and reducing about 16 million tonnes of CO2 emissions.

The project is expected to contribute to economic development in both Xinjiang and Chongqing, enhance regional coordinated development, facilitate rural revitalisation, and help improve public welfare, the corporation said.

As the starting point of this line, Hami saw the installed capacity of new energy in its power grid reach approximately 23 million kilowatts by the end of 2024.

A staff member operates a drone to check cables of the Hami-Chongqing ±800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project, in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 3, 2025. [Xinhua]

As the terminal hub of the line, Chongqing, with a population of roughly 32 million, faces a primary energy deficit. It is the only provincial-level region in western China that is a net importer of energy. 

The project epitomises Xinjiang's efforts to position itself as a national energy strategic supply base. Once considered economic obstacles, Xinjiang's vast deserts and arid landscapes have been transformed into a renewable energy goldmine, blessed with strong wind and long hours of sunshine.

Latest data shows that Xinjiang's total installed power capacity has surged to 201 million kilowatts, with 112 million kilowatts, or 55.72 per cent, coming from renewables.

With abundant power generation capacity, Xinjiang faces the challenge of ensuring this energy doesn't go to waste. The region's local demand cannot fully absorb the massive power it generates, creating a stark imbalance with the energy-hungry eastern regions.

Staff members check a power distribution room at the Barkol converter station of the Hami-Chongqing ±800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project, in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, June 10, 2025. [Xinhua]

The UHV projects, which feature low transmission loss and large transmission capacity, have become the key solutions to addressing these challenges. Since 2010, Xinjiang has cumulatively transmitted over 900 billion kilowatt-hours of power outside the region, with renewable energy accounting for approximately 30 per cent of the total. The electricity supply coverage extends to 22 provincial-level regions across China.

Transmitting 100 million kilowatts of photovoltaic power from Xinjiang to the eastern and central regions of China would cut back on thermal power installations in those areas by 25 million kilowatts, according to calculations by State Grid Xinjiang Electric Power Co., Ltd.

China has committed to a dual goal of peaking carbon emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060. In 2024, 86 percent of newly installed power capacity in China came from renewable energy sources, while the share of cumulative installed renewable capacity rose to a record high of 56 per cent of the national total, official data showed.