Source: State Grid Corporation of China's official website

In June, the mountains and rivers at the border of Sichuan and Yunnan were filled with Dai, and the clean electricity generated by the Baihetan Hydropower Station flashed to the regions south of the Yangtze River water town 2000 kilometers away in about 7 milliseconds, illuminating "Green China" with countless lights.

On June 23rd, the Baihetan Zhejiang ± 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current project was fully put into operation, and the transmission capacity was increased to 8 million kilowatts. This is another energy "air corridor" that delivers clean energy on a large scale from the Baihetan to Jiangsu ± 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current project. The two major projects have formed a transmission capacity of 16 million kilowatts, injecting surging momentum into the high-quality integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region.

Midsummer has arrived, and China has entered the peak period of summer electricity consumption, with the electricity load rapidly increasing. The full operation of the power transmission channel of Baihetan Hydropower Station has added strong support to the power supply in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and even East China this summer, providing strong guarantees for meeting the needs of economic development and people's livelihood.

The white  dances on the Jinsha River, and green electricity "flashes" to regions south of the Yangtze River. The thousand mile silver line connects energy bases and load centers, supporting the green imagination of high-quality economic and social development.

The two ultra-high voltage projects of Baihetan Jiangsu and Baihetan Zhejiang are key projects for China's implementation of the "West East Power Transmission" strategy. They are green projects of State Grid Corporation of China to optimize energy structure and serve the "dual carbon" goals. It is a key project to ensure power supply and energy resource security, and a super project to drive domestic demand and help stabilize economic growth. It has significant comprehensive benefits and long-term strategic significance for optimizing energy allocation, promoting green development, and leading technological innovation.

Protect power supply to promote the transformation of "West-to-East Power Transmission Project"   

Overlooking the land of Sichuan and Sichuan, the Jinsha River outlines the lines of mountains like a paintbrush. Over the winding river, two silver lines connect Sichuan, Jiangsu, and Sichuan, Zhejiang respectively, sending green electricity from the Jinsha River basin to the eastern region of China. The starting point of the Silver Line is the Baihetan Hydropower Station, which has the second largest installed capacity in the world.

Eight million kilowatt units will be built on the left and right banks of the Baihetan Hydropower Station, with an installed capacity of 16 million kilowatts. On June 28, 2021, the first batch of units of the hydropower station were put into operation for power generation.   We hope that all builders and all parties can coordinate and promote the follow-up work of Baihetan Hydropower Station, making greater contributions to achieving carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals, and promoting comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development.

On December 20, 2022, the Baihetan Hydropower Station was fully put into operation for power generation, along with five hydropower stations including the Gezhou Dam, Three Gorges, Xiangjiaba, Xiluodu, and Wudongde, forming the world's largest clean energy corridor on the Yangtze River.

The Yangtze River Delta region is an important engine for China's economic development and also a power load center in China. In 2022, Jiangsu and Zhejiang ranked third and fourth in terms of annual electricity consumption in China, with strong energy demand. However, the two provinces lack primary energy and have low environmental carrying capacity, especially in the urgent need to optimize the energy structure under the "dual carbon" goal. Therefore, introducing electricity from outside the province is the "golden key" to break the resource constraints bottleneck in East China and promote high-quality development.

Matching supply and demand, a perfect match. At the end of 2020, the construction of the power transmission channel project for the Baihetan Hydropower Station began. This project includes two ultra-high voltage projects: Baihetan Jiangsu and Baihetan Zhejiang. On December 19, 2022, the Baihetan Jiangsu project was fully put into operation, with a transmission capacity of 8 million kilowatts. On December 30 of the same year, the Baihetan Zhejiang project was put into operation at the bipolar low-end, forming a transmission capacity of 4 million kilowatts. Now, with the full operation of the Baihetan Zhejiang project, Sichuan has formed six power transmission channels, further promoting Sichuan's transformation of resource advantages into economic advantages.

The energy "air corridor" is not only an important measure to support the economic rise of the western region, but also a lever to adjust the energy structure of the eastern region and transform the energy development mode.

In 2014, the Development and Reform Commission and other departments issued a notice on the issuance of a plan to strengthen air pollution prevention and control in the energy industry, requiring the acceleration of the construction of key transmission channels, the increase of power transmission to key areas, and the alleviation of pressure on air pollution prevention and control in densely populated areas. In 2021, the State Council issued the Action Plan for Carbon Peak before 2030, requiring strict and reasonable control of coal consumption growth during the 14th Five Year Plan period.

The distribution of coal-fired power plants in East China is dense, and the construction of a clean energy transportation artery provides assistance for controlling the total coal consumption in the region. According to calculations, these two projects can deliver over 60 billion kilowatt hours of clean electricity to Jiangsu and Zhejiang each year, promoting a reduction of 41 million tons of coal used for power generation in East China and supporting energy transformation and green development in the Yangtze River Delta region.

The silver line runs eastward, leaving a green footprint on clean hydropower, shouldering the heavy responsibility of delivering energy to Sichuan, and also carrying the expectations and aspirations of residents in Jiangsu and Zhejiang for a better life.        Stable growth benefiting people's livelihoods

Optimizing configuration to promote development

"In the past few years of participating in the construction of ultra-high voltage projects, I have gained a relatively stable income and saved some money. I plan to renovate my house by the end of the year," said Zhang Li, 34, from Gonghe Village, Hongchuan Town, Hongya County, Sichuan Province, with a smile. He once worked as a surveyor in Baihetan Jiangsu (Chuan 1 standard). After participating in the ultra-high voltage project, his skills have greatly improved, so he led six or seven young people from the same village to participate in the construction of the Baihetan Zhejiang project. He said, "Taking advantage of our youth, we want to learn more skills, earn more money, and give our families a better life."

Driving equipment production, driving social investment, and attracting employment from villagers... The Baihetan Jiangsu Project brings new development opportunities to the economy along the route. In the Sichuan section of the project, there are over ten thousand workers working during the peak construction period; There are 20 suppliers involved in the materials required for the Chongqing section of the project, including iron towers, optical cables, insulators, fittings, etc., which have driven more than 7400 people to work in 8 districts and counties of Chongqing.

The investment in ultra-high voltage engineering is large, the industrial added value is high, and the medium and long-term economic benefits are significant. According to investment estimates, the total investment of the Baihetan Jiangsu and Baihetan Zhejiang projects exceeds 60 billion yuan, adding more than 30000 job opportunities and involving hundreds of equipment manufacturing, construction, installation, and scientific research units, driving related industry investment of about 200 billion yuan, effectively supporting stable growth and benefiting people's livelihoods.

With the full production of two major clean energy arteries, more dividends continue to be released, and greater benefits are emerging.

Since the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the gross domestic product (GDP) of Jiangsu Province has exceeded 6 trillion yuan in a row. The main driving force behind this is the development of industrial enterprises represented by Changshu Longteng Special Steel Co., Ltd. After the implementation of the Baihetan Jiangsu project in Changshu, the local electricity quality has significantly improved, and Longteng Special Steel, a major electricity user in Changshu, has also taken a ride. "With sufficient power supply, the enterprise operates well, and even during peak summer electricity consumption, the production line can still operate at full capacity," said Yuan Yan, director of Longteng Special Steel's External Cooperation Office, in the busy production workshop. With the support of ultra-high voltage, enterprises that have landed in Jiangsu have put in full force.

In the summer of 2022, Jiangsu experienced a rare continuous high temperature weather, with the high electricity load of the Jiangsu power grid exceeding 100 million kilowatts. Jiangsu has introduced external electricity through the "one AC and four DC" ultra-high voltage channel, increasing the proportion of clean energy consumption, enhancing the power grid's ability to support water and fire, and ensuring reliable power supply during peak summer periods.

There is Paradise above and Suzhou and Hangzhou below. The clean hydropower on the Jinsha River enhances the greenery of the water towns in regions south of the Yangtze River. With the help of the Baihetan Zhejiang Project, clean electricity flows into thousands of ships and cars through charging stations. On the banks of the Millennium Grand Canal, silver lines are faintly visible in the night. On the silver wire, the current flows like a tide; Under the silver line, ships shuttle like a shuttle. The ships stopped sailing and rested in the Yaqueyang water service area. The boatmen pulled out a fist thick charging cable from the shore charging box and connected it to the cabin. The current flowed into the ship, illuminating the boatmen's bedroom and kitchen.

The Baihetan project in Jiangsu and Baihetan project in Zhejiang continue to promote the clean and low-carbon transformation of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. From a broader perspective, the company has currently built 33 ultra-high voltage AC/DC lines, forming a situation of "west to east power transmission and north to south power supply", fully leveraging the role of the power grid optimization resource allocation platform, promoting large-scale grid connection, large-scale configuration, and high proportion consumption of new energy, and accumulating green momentum to promote high-quality economic and social development.

Embrace challenges and break through bravely

Innovation leads technological development

The construction of the power transmission channel of Baihetan Hydropower Station faces many extreme conditions, challenging the perseverance and wisdom of builders, with a high altitude of 3300 meters, 60 millimeters of heavy ice cover, and a strong earthquake intensity of 8 degrees.

In the rugged and uninhabited Daliang Mountains, at an altitude of 3300 meters, on the banks of the surging Yangtze River, under the scorching sun and rain and snow, tens of thousands of power grid builders are carrying out construction on a winding 2000 kilometer line. During the construction of the project, it has crossed the Yangtze River, Minjiang River, and Hanjiang River multiple times, as well as the Daliang Mountain, Daba Mountain, Wushan Mountain, and Dabie Mountain. The terrain along the route is complex.

On the mountaintop stands an iron tower, and the silver thread crosses the river. The builders overcame difficulties such as material transportation, variable climate, and complex terrain, and completed the construction tasks on schedule. However, to ensure the stable delivery of green electricity, it is also necessary to rely on the support of innovative technology and advanced equipment.

The Baihetan Jiangsu Project is a global * * hybrid cascaded ultra-high voltage direct current project, and the latest research and application of "conventional direct current+flexible direct current" hybrid cascaded ultra-high voltage direct current transmission technology is being developed and applied in construction. The terminal station of the project, Yucheng Converter Station, adopts internationally advanced flexible DC technology in the low-end section, while conventional DC technology is used in the high-end section. "Conventional DC transmission is like a train, although it has a large transmission capacity, long distance, and low losses, it can only travel on flat tracks. Flexible DC transmission has flexible control and strong system support capabilities, more like off-road vehicles, and can cope with poor road conditions. The combination of the two can improve the safe and stable operation ability of the power grid." The relevant person in charge of State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power Construction Department introduced.

The Baihetan Zhejiang Project has revealed the technical rules of the effect of cosmic rays on thyristors under high-altitude conditions, and has mastered the insulation characteristics of ultra short gaps under high-altitude conditions. Significant achievements have been made in the research of line icing, de icing jumping, and suppression measures, creating another model for ultra-high voltage direct current projects.

The Baihetan Jiangsu project has innovatively developed 20 new equipment and 19 new technologies. The Baihetan Zhejiang project has broken through the bottleneck problem of ultra-high voltage casing, which has long constrained the development of China's power transmission and transformation industry. It marks the realization of a full series of ultra-high voltage casings with independent intellectual property rights in China's engineering batch application. These innovative equipment and methods have promoted technological upgrades and breakthroughs in China's power industry, consolidated the advantages of ultra-high voltage direct current transmission technology, and improved the security level of China's high-end transmission and transformation industry chain supply chain.