Southwest China to Build Giant Power Transmission BaseChina's largest power transmission base will be established in the southwestern region in the next five years, according to an agreement signed by high- ranking officials from five southwestern provinces and autonomous regions and two cities.They made the decision at the ongoing 17th Southwestern China Economic Coordination Meeting, which aims to solidify operative relations between Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Chongqing, Chengdu and Tibet in their economic development. According to the agreement, cooperation will be strengthened to transmit the rich energy resources, mainly hydropower, to east China. Currently a number of hydroelectric stations scattered in the area are under construction and more are expected. Meanwhile, the establishment of a high voltage network is on the agenda to optimize the distribution of electricity. The project of sending power from west to east China is one of the country's ambitious strategies to develop the economically weak western regions. China has potential hydropower resources of 378 million kilowatts in installed capacity. However, 70 percent of the resources are in the remote western region and less than 8 percent has been developed. |
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