UHV transmission increasing in China

Rapid UHV expansion seen in the next three years.

China is going to approve many ultra-high voltage (UHV) transmission projects in the coming years to satisfy the energy demand during the economic expansion, said Zhang Xin, chairman of the Tebian Electric Apparatus Stock Co Ltd in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

"Unprecedented opportunities for China's UHV transmission and new-energy industries are coming, along with the government's plan to accelerate economic restructuring," he said.

Zhang expects that China's total transmission capacity will be enlarged several times by the end of 2020. He claims China's UHV transmission technique is reliable and up to commercial standards.

Construction of the UHV transmission line from Huainan in Anhui province to Shanghai is well under way, Zhang said.

China’s decision to go for UHV transmission is because its energy resources are far away from load centers. The majority of the hydropower resources are in the west, and coal is in the northwest, but huge loadings are in the east and south.

UHV transmission is a logical choice to reduce transmission losses to a manageable level. In 2009, the State Grid Corporation of China said China will invest US$88 billion into UHV development until 2020.