Northern Shaanxi-Anhui ±800 kV UHVDC project put into operation

The Northern Shaanxi-Anhui ±800 kilovolt ultra-high-voltage direct current (UHVDC) transmission project of State Grid was put into operation on June 30, the first UHVDC project to enter operation during China's 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30).

The project is a landmark project in State Grid's effort to advance the "West-to-East Power Transmission" strategy, crucial for boosting energy security, optimizing cross-regional clean energy allocation and promoting a green, low-carbon energy transition.

The 1,055-kilometer line runs from Yan'an in Shaanxi province to Hefei in Anhui province, passing through Henan province. With a total investment of 20.5 billion yuan, the project has a rated voltage of ±800 kV and a rated capacity of 8 million kilowatts.

The sending end collects solar, wind and energy-saving thermal power through a 750 kV AC system, while the receiving end connects to load centers in Anhui through a 500 kV AC system.

Once fully operational, the project will send more than 36 billion kWh of electricity to Anhui a year, with more than half from new energy sources. This will support reliable electricity supply in Anhui and the East China region, playing an important role in ensuring the medium- to long-term balance of power supply and demand and in promoting the optimization of the energy structure.

With the project in operation, Shaanxi's outbound power capacity will exceed 31 GW, forming a "two AC, four DC" outbound transmission pattern. The Northwest Power Grid's cross-regional outbound capacity has reached 103 GW.

Anhui, part of the Yangtze River Delta, has seen rapid growth in strategic emerging industries and rising electricity consumption, increasing its demand for imported green power. The project will help form a grid with two UHVDC cross-regional channels for direct supply and the East China UHV AC ring network for interprovincial support.

State Grid said fixed-asset investment this year, the first year of the 15th Five-Year Plan, reached a record high and was well above the annual average in the 14th Five-Year Plan period. It said it had launched a new round of UHV construction, with projects moving through preliminary work, approval and construction simultaneously.

To date, State Grid has completed 43 UHV projects — 22 AC and 21 DC — with cross-regional and interprovincial transmission capacity of more than 380 GW. It has formed UHV AC backbone grids in East China, North China, Central China and Southwest China and integrated a new-generation dispatch control system with its power trading platform to support cross-provincial medium- and long-term, as well as spot trades.

During the 15th Five-Year Plan, State Grid will accelerate construction of a new-type power grid and further raise cross-regional and interprovincial transmission capacity, reinforcing the West-East Power Transmission and North-to-South Power Supply corridors.