HOHHOT, Dec. 18 -- North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region announced on Wednesday completion of a milestone project to provide electricity to the region' agricultural households.

The government of the pastoral region said nearly 20,000 families were either linked to the grid or had wind and solar power at their homes in 2013.

Living a nomadic life, families are often scattered across vast prairies and live far away from each other, making it difficult for the grid to cover them, officials said.

Xue Hou'e, a herder from the city of Erdos, said the project saved her the trouble of having to travel far to charge her mobile phone.

The region has also lowered the price of electricity for farmers and herdsmen, officials said.