Premier Hails West-east Electricity TransmissionPremier Zhu Rongji extended his congratulations to the starting of the country's ambitious west-east electricity transmission project that was unveiled November 8 in Guiyang, Guizhou Province.Zhu said in his congratulation letter that the project is one of the key projects in the Strategy of Developing the West and arduous efforts should be made to realize the goal of transmitting 10 million kw of electricity to south China's Guangdong Province by 2005. The project will play an important role in promoting both the resource-rich western China and the energy-short coastal areas, said Zhu. The project also formally unveiled the beginning of western development, Zhu noted. Construction of the Hongjiadu Hydropower Station, the Yinzidu Hydropower Station, and the expansion of the Wujiangdu Hydropower Station started Wednesday morning on the Wujiang River, in southwest China's Guizhou Province. The projects are the first group of projects to constitute part of China's massive west-east electricity transmission project, marking the beginning of the development of the western region. At the same time, construction of three electricity transmission lines and a thermal power station in Yunnan also started. The seven projects, covering Yunnan, Guizhou and Hubei provinces, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Chongqing Municipality, will form the south route of the west-east electricity transmission project, sending electricity to the south China power grid. The north route will transmit electricity through Inner Mongolia Autonomous region and Shaanxi Province to the north China power grid, and the third route will travel through Sichuan and other provinces sending electricity to central and east China power grids. Guizhou has water energy resources of 16.4 million kilowatts and perspective coal reserves of 240 billion tons. Wujiang River is the biggest tributary on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, the longest river in China. China plans to build ten hydropower stations on the river, of which, nine are located in Guizhou Province. The three projects, which started Wednesday on the Wujiang River, have a combined power capacity of 1.49 million kilowatts and have an investment of 7.3 billion yuan (879 million $US). By 2005, the installed power-generating capacity will reach thirteen million kW, thus laying a solid foundation for the west-east lectricity transmission project. Zhang Guobao, vice minister of State Development Planning Commission, and other senior officials from the Central Government and Guizhou Province attended Wednesday's project starting ceremony. |
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