Nearly 19 million residents from areas of extreme poverty in China have benefited from a power grid project, enabling them to have access to stable electricity.

(Photo/Xinhua)

"In the past, more than 40 people in the village relied on a small hydropower generator with a capacity of only 12 kilowatts to power their homes. When the mountains were snowed in during the winter, oftentimes the generator would not work, leading to the village having almost no electricity,," recalled a villager.

He added that “now, it is so great to be able to charge my phone at home any time!”

In 2018, a three-year action plan launched in China to renovate and upgrade rural power grids in areas of extreme poverty reached completion by the end of June. Remote and poor areas have achieved extended coverage of the power grid, and prominent problems such as low voltage and poor reliability of power supply have been effectively addressed.

Thanks to the bulk power system, quality and reliability of power supply have been noticeably improved.

"As the power supply is upgraded, so are our lives. Now as the guesthouse business is much welcomed, the machines are running, and agricultural products can be processed on the spot and sold via online streaming, the future life will be better," said Li Haifeng, a local villager who runs a guesthouse business.

With power supply providing strong support for poverty alleviation, data show that in the first half of 2020, the power supply level in areas of extreme poverty is close to the national average.