China's State Grid constructs new UHV, hydropower plant projects

BEIJING, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- The State Grid Corporation of China (State Grid) on Thursday began the construction of a new ultra-high voltage (UHV) power transmission line and a pumped-storage hydropower plant.

The Jinshang-Hubei 800-kilovolt UHV direct current power transmission project stretches 1,901 kilometers. It is currently the highest-altitude UHV direct current power transmission project in the world. State Grid said the project will pass through four provincial regions: Tibet, Sichuan, Chongqing and Hubei.

The Tongshan pumped-storage hydropower station will be equipped with four sets of power generators, each with a capacity of 350,000 kilowatts.

The total investment in the two projects will hit 42.7 billion yuan (about 6.23 billion U.S. dollars), according to State Grid.

So far, the company has completed the construction of 33 UHV projects nationwide, and it plans to construct more pumped-storage hydropower stations with an estimated total installed capacity of over 27 million kilowatts during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025).