Northern Shaanxi-Anhui power link begins commissioning

The converter station at the northern Shaanxi-Anhui ultra-high-voltage direct current transmission project began commissioning on May 7, paving the way for the launch of a new major power transmission link, according to State Grid Shaanxi Electric Power Co.

State Grid Shaanxi Electric Power Co employees carry out an inspection. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

The ±800-kilovolt Baotashan converter station in Yan'an, Shaanxi province, is the project's sending-end facility. The commissioning process was scheduled to last 35 days, with 737 tests planned to assess equipment performance, operational reliability, and coordination among system components.

The project, a part of China's "East Data, West Computing" initiative to transmit electricity from western energy bases to eastern China, stretches about 1,070 kilometers from Yan'an to Hefei, Anhui province, crossing through Shaanxi, Henan, and Anhui provinces. With a transmission capacity of 8 million kilowatts, it is designed to strengthen the power supply to eastern China.

Once operational, the project is expected to deliver more than 36 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity to Anhui annually, with renewable energy accounting for more than half of the total.

State Grid Shaanxi Electric Power Co organized its maintenance teams to conduct the tests under a closed-loop management system, with daily reviews of procedures, test results, and outstanding issues to ensure safety and efficiency.

After commissioning is completed, the project will enter trial operations, enhancing Shaanxi's capacity to transmit electricity and supporting China's carbon reduction goals.