An ultra-high voltage direct current (UHVDC) power transmission line has officially entered operation in China, announced the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) on Friday. It marks the longest UHVDC power transmission line for green energy currently in operation in China.

Energy will be carried from Jiuquan City in northwestern Gansu Province to Xiangtan City in central Hunan Province, and is expected to alleviate power supply shortages in five provincial level regions, including central Hubei Province, southwestern Chongqing Municipality and northwest China's Shanxi Province, said the SGCC.

Construction of the 2,383 kilometer-long line was approved by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) in 2015. In one of China’s west-east electricity transfer projects, China invested 2.62 billion yuan (383.3 million US dollars) in its construction.

According to the SGCC, the project is capable of transmitting 13 million kWh electricity per second. The line is expected to meet up to 25 percent of Hunan Province’s energy needs, saving more than 18 million tons of coal and reducing carbon emissions by about 29.6 million tons, as well as 88,000 tons of sulfur dioxide emissions.

The SGCC said that the project will promote the development of the clean energy industry in China, as well as improve the air quality in western China.

In fact, the decision to use UHV transmission is based on the fact that China’s major energy resources are in the west and northwest, but huge consumption demands are in the east and south. Compared with a traditional power grid, UHV transmission, especially UHVDC transmission, could largely reduce transmission losses as well as pollution to a manageable level. As a more economical technology for long-distance power transmission, using UHVDC transmission in China is a logical step forward.

At present, there are about 30,000 kilometers of UHVDC power transmission lines under construction and in operation in China, said the SGCC.