In Daqiubao Village, Chagugang Town, Wuqing District, Tianjin, a 400 kVA transformer was securely installed at Station Area No. 14 on November 4, with workers completing the energization through live-line operations. Wuqing District currently has 352 villages covered by the coal-to-electricity conversion program, serving more than 129,000 households. With such an extensive power supply network, grid upgrades and maintenance directly affect the warmth and comfort of countless families. The photo shows employees from the Chagugang Power Supply Service Center of State Grid Tianjin Wuqing Company inspecting coal-to-electricity equipment for villagers in Daqiubao Village, Chagugang Town. (Photo by Feng Kexu)
At the capacity expansion site, Jia Xiaole, a grid manager at the Chagugang Power Supply Service Center of State Grid Tianjin Wuqing Company, explained that based on current data alone, adding 160 kVA of capacity at Station Area No. 14 would have been sufficient. However, considering that the entire Daqiubao Village experiences a surge in coal-to-electricity load during winter, with some station areas already reaching load rates above 80%, they decided to take a holistic approach. More than 30 households from other high-load station areas were redirected to Station Area No. 14. After calculation, the capacity of Station Area No. 14 was ultimately increased to 400 kVA. This not only guaranteed heating electricity for 571 households but also injected strong momentum into more than 40 small and micro enterprises in the village.
It has been nine years since Daqiubao Village completed its coal-to-electricity conversion, and electricity has not only transformed the village's power grid infrastructure but also quietly reshaped the villagers' way of life. Nearly half of the villagers have renovated their homes, and Old Han's family is one of them. From a former three-room brick house to a two-story modern home, Old Han's heating equipment has also been upgraded to an air-source heat pump. Old Han said: "In the past, to make it convenient to fetch coal, the kitchen could only be built in the courtyard. Now that we use electric heating, it's clean and hassle-free. I moved both the kitchen and the bathroom indoors. Life now is so convenient and clean!"
Clean heating has become an important measure for coordinated pollution reduction and carbon emissions reduction. According to the National Energy Administration, by the end of 2025, the clean heating rate in northern China reached 85%, with significant improvement in air quality. The transformation of Daqiubao Village in Wuqing District is a microcosm of Tianjin Power's continued efforts to advance the coal-to-electricity project. In Shuangyao Village, Yangchengzhuang Township, Jinghai District, the coal-to-electricity renovation project has been fully completed, with 13 new distribution transformers totaling 5,200 kVA in capacity, enabling all 2,349 households in the village to use electric heating this winter.
Villager Wang Yichao from Shuangyao Village said: "Buying coal in winter used to cost about 3,000 yuan. Now with electric heating, the workers estimate that winter electricity bills will be around 2,000 yuan, saving over 1,000 yuan compared to burning coal. I used the savings to renovate my courtyard and repaint the walls. No need to carry coal or start a fire—just press a button to stay warm. It's convenient and cozy." Behind the warmth in villagers' homes is the silent dedication of power supply workers. Before the heating season, Li Youhan, deputy head of Grid Team Two at the Dafengdui Power Supply Service Center of State Grid Tianjin Jinghai Company, began leading his team on line inspections in the village. After the coal-to-electricity conversion, 13 new station areas were added to the village, doubling the power supply capacity, and the workload for inspections and maintenance increased accordingly. While recording equipment operation data, Li Youhan said: "There is indeed more work than before, but every time we see villagers' homes clean and tidy, we feel it's all worth it."
According to the National Climate Center's November report, this winter, influenced by El Niño, the country will be generally warmer than usual, but the frequency of cold waves will be higher, with significant temperature fluctuations, and the risk of severe temperature drops and snowstorms in the north will be prominent. Before the heating season, State Grid Tianjin Electric Power launched a special electricity safety inspection for heating-related customers, conducting item-by-item checks on incoming power sources, electrical equipment, and emergency power configurations at heating stations, heat exchange stations, and centralized coal-to-electricity sites, implementing "one household, one policy" precision services. Relying on distribution network load monitoring and big data analysis, they dynamically track load changes in coal-to-electricity station areas and promptly handle abnormalities and faults. At the same time, they have improved contingency plans following the principle of "one plan for each village, one plan for each line, one plan for each station area," adhering to the principle of "restore power first, repair afterward," and reducing outage time through load transfer and emergency power generation.
It is understood that during the winter period, State Grid Tianjin Electric Power has shortened the inspection cycle for coal-to-electricity areas to once every 15 days. In Wuqing District alone, 19 emergency repair stations have been established, with 136 repair personnel and 68 emergency vehicles on standby at all times, ensuring that coal-to-electricity users can have their power restored within 2 hours after a fault. From "black walls" to "white walls," from "buying and storing coal" to "pressing a button for heating," what has changed is the heating method, but what remains unchanged is the responsibility for ensuring supply. State Grid Tianjin Electric Power is implementing winter measures down to every station area and every household, making every effort to ensure the people stay safe and warm through the winter. (Wang Jianhui)
Comments