Xi’an powers ahead with grid upgrades

On April 28, following the fifth successful closing and energization test of the main transformer, the 110-kilovolt Shaanxi Provincial Gymnasium Substation was connected to the grid and put into operation.

Custom-built as a core power source for the Xi'an High-tech Zone, the substation will help close the local power supply gap. It will add 126 megavolt-amperes of transformer capacity to the area for this summer's peak power demand, benefiting more than 960,000 residents.

Prefabricated cabin design

Around 9 am on April 29, a visit to the substation revealed a striking contrast with conventional substations. Gone are the bulky concrete structures and construction clutter. Instead, rows of container-like power prefabricated cabins stand neatly arranged, forming the substation's core control center and power hub.

The substation uses a prefabricated design tailored to the high-tech zone. The full set of high-voltage distribution equipment and supporting auxiliary systems required for a substation is fully assembled and tested in a factory in advance, then sealed inside individual steel containers. Once delivered to the construction site, these power prefabricated cabins are connected and assembled by function much like building blocks, speeding up preparations for commissioning.

"Leveraging the modular advantages of prefabricated cabins, we shortened construction time by more than 100 days compared with conventional methods. The substation occupies no more than 2,000 square meters, about 26 percent smaller than a comparable traditional substation, greatly red land acquisition costs and making power facilities easier to build in central urban areas," said Huang Zhen, a manager at the project management center of State Grid Shaanxi Electric Power Company Xi'an Power Supply Company. The power prefabricated cabins use energy-saving composite materials with excellent fire resistance and seismic performance. Patented technologies including sound barriers, electromagnetic shielding and noise reduction ensure stable equipment operation while integrating the industrial facility harmoniously into the urban environment.

The 110 kV Shaanxi Provincial Gymnasium Substation was commissioned with two 63 MVA main transformers in this phase. The neighborhood hosts a dense mix of offices, commercial spaces, residences and recreational venues. As urban renewal accelerates, local electricity demand keeps rising. The existing power grid faced prominent issues such as overloaded nearby substations and inadequate supply reliability.

The official grid connection of this substation will effectively optimize the 110 kV grid layout in the high-tech zone, markedly improving power supply redundancy and grid stability, and laying a solid power foundation for local residents, commercial operations and industrial growth.

Reinforcement projects

The momentum extends further, with a string of recent milestones for Xi'an's power grid buildout. At 12:05 pm on April 23, Xi'an Tianhe Road 110 kV Substation was energized and entered trial operation. Located in the Xi'an National Civil Aerospace Industrial Base, the station brings online two 50 MVA main transformers and four 110 kV outgoing circuits in this phase as a critical supporting facility for the aerospace cluster.

Previously, power supply for this zone relied mainly on the Changzheng 110 kV Substation commissioned in 2021. Rapid expansion of the aerospace sector and the arrival of key projects have driven steady growth in electricity consumption. The original substation was operating near full capacity and could no longer accommodate new load requirements.

Commissioning of the Xi'an Tianhe Road 110 kV Substation closes the regional power supply gap. It also creates a new grid hub linking the Haohe River and Shangyuan 330 kV power supply zones, reinforcing the backbone grid in southeastern Xi'an and improving local power quality and strengthening grid resilience.

The commissioning of the two 110 kV substations has put Xi'an's 2026 summer peak power grid upgrade program into high gear. A total of 18 backbone grid infrastructure projects were planned for this summer initiative, including 11 new substations — one 330 kV substation and 10 110 kV substations. The package also covers two substation expansion projects and five transmission line projects. Upon full completion, these developments will add 2,573 MVA of transformer capacity and 355.2 kilometers of transmission lines.

By the end of April, eight of the 18 priority summer peak projects had been finished, adding 626 MVA of transformer capacity and 204.9 kilometers of lines. The remaining 10 projects were under construction.