Provinces across nation working to build new-type power system

In order to boost the complementarity and security of China's power system, many regions have adapted to new development trends and striven to build a new-type power system.

On July 14, the national electricity load hit a new high of 1.55 billion kilowatts. The maximum power transmission across provinces, regions and grids stood at a combined 278 million kW, underpinning national power security.

In mid-July, large generator units operated efficiently at the production site of Shanxi Ruiguang Thermal Power. Inside the central control hall, staff members closely monitored operating parameters. The enterprise completed annual unit maintenance and potential hazard inspections ahead of schedule this year to guarantee power supply during the peak summer demand period.

Liu Xiaoping, a supervisor of the company's power generation department, said electricity load has kept climbing since the start of summer. "We dynamically adjust unit operation modes during high-temperature hours to maximize peak generation capacity. Meanwhile, we maintain sufficient coal stockpiles to reliably power residential consumption and industrial production," Liu said.

Coal serves as the ballast for power supply security. At present, coal inventories at nationally dispatched power plants remain above 200 million metric tons, laying a foundation for meeting summer power demand.

Li Chao, spokesperson for the National Development and Reform Commission, said that it will guide relevant parties to ensure the production and supply of primary energy such as coal, strengthen coal transportation, and secure power supplies throughout the summer peak period.

Energy security is a holistic, strategic issue bearing on national economic and social development. Faced with rapidly rising power demand, China has comprehensively upgraded its installed power capacity, transmission corridors and grid dispatch capabilities.

China's installed power capacity has exceeded 4 billion kW, ranking first worldwide and surpassing the combined total of the United States, the European Union, India, Japan and Russia.

Behind this historic milestone, the installed shares of non-fossil energy and renewable energy have both exceeded 60 percent. This reflects the transformative shift toward a newer, greener power mix and helps buffer volatility in the global energy market.

As a key region hosting China's large-scale wind and solar power bases, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region's total green power trading volume this year was double its full-year volume of 2025 as of July 8.

Liu Wenlong, spokesperson for State Grid Xinjiang Electric Power, said: "We have upgraded intelligent forecasting systems for wind and solar power output and pushed forward flexibility retrofits for coal-fired units to make the maximum room for new energy integration.

"Meanwhile, we coordinated diverse resources including energy storage and flexible loads to build an integrated source-grid-load-storage operation system, making intermittent and fluctuating wind and solar power more stable, controllable, safe and reliable."

Power grids link power generation and consumption. They constitute a core component for building a new-type power system and are a critical piece of infrastructure which safeguards energy security and the circulation of the national economy. So far, China has put 47 ultrahigh voltage transmission corridors into operation, enhancing cross-provincial and cross-regional power transmission capacity.

On June 30, the ±800 kilovolt North Shaanxi-Hubei ultra high-voltage direct current project, the first such project commissioned during the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), was completed and brought online.

Li Biao, deputy director of the DC Management Department at State Grid Shaanxi Ultra-High Voltage Company, said the DC control and protection equipment used in the project, from chips and other components to integrated devices, is fully homegrown and controllable, improving the safety level of on-site equipment.

Today, China has built the world's largest interconnected AC/DC power grid, addressing the mismatch between energy resources and power demand load, and laying a solid framework for developing a next-generation power grid.

Zhou Ji, deputy chief engineer at the National Power Dispatching and Control Center of State Grid, said the "command hub" for national grid operation runs around the clock to guarantee safe grid operation and a stable power supply.

The outline of China's 15th Five-Year Plan calls for fostering a new-type power system, lifting the complementarity and security of the power system, optimizing national power flow and the layout of cross-regional transmission corridors, accelerating smart grid construction and improving urban and rural distribution networks.

From traditional thermal power to new energy, from power generation side to grid side, and from cities to rural areas, continuous and stable electricity supports the country and provides momentum for Chinese-style modernization.

Du Zhongming, director-general of the electric power department of the National Energy Administration, said: "We will coordinate efforts across source, grid, load and storage segments. On the generation side, we will speed up forming a green and low-carbon supply structure. On the grid side, we will accelerate new-type power grid development. On the demand side, we will unlock coordinated response capacity of power consumers. On the storage side, we will bring new-type energy storage into full play. We have the confidence and capability to guarantee national power supply during the 15th Five-Year Plan."