UHV power link connects Shaanxi and Anhui

The Northern Shaanxi-Anhui ±800-kilovolt ultra-high-voltage (UHV) direct-current transmission project began commercial operation on June 30, following a 168-hour trial run. As the first UHV DC project completed and commissioned during China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), it will deliver more than 36 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity to Anhui province annually, with renewable energy accounting for over half of the total.

The Northern Shaanxi ±800-kilovolt ultra-high-voltage (UHV) direct-current transmission project begins commercial operation on June 30. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

Stretching 1,055 kilometers across Shaanxi, Henan and Anhui provinces, the project has a rated transmission capacity of 8 million kilowatts and connects the Baotashan converter station in Yan'an, Shaanxi, with the Hezhou converter station in Hefei, Anhui, strengthening the country's west-to-east power transmission network.

The project is supported by 4 million kW of thermal power capacity and 11 million kW of wind and solar capacity. Once fully utilized, its annual electricity supply will replace approximately 5.5 million metric tons of standard coal and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 14.2 million tons.

The project also raises Shaanxi's outbound power transmission capacity from 27.67 million kW to 31.67 million kW, further strengthening the province's role in supplying energy to eastern China.