The Jinsha River Upstream (Jinshang)-Hubei ±800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current (UHVDC) transmission project was officially commissioned on December 18. This marks China’s first UHVDC line extending deep into the hinterland of the Sichuan-Tibet Plateau and the seventh "power expressway" transmitting Sichuan’s electricity out of the province.
**Key Features** - Voltage/Capacity: ±800 kV with 8 GW capacity - Transmission Distance: ~1,900 km - Innovation: First global application of cascaded converter technology in high-altitude regions, pioneering breakthroughs in technical, geographical, and construction challenges. - Annual Output: 40 billion kWh of clean energy, equivalent to replacing 12 million tons of coal and cutting CO₂ emissions by 30 million tons.
**Strategic Impact** 1. **Supply-Side Benefits**: Supports large-scale development and transmission of hydro-wind-solar hybrid energy from the Jinsha River upstream base, optimizing Sichuan’s energy mix. 2. **Demand-Side Relief**: Alleviates long-term power shortages in Central China (notably Hubei), advancing a cleaner energy system. Hubei’s clean energy absorption ratio will rise significantly. 3. **Capacity Leap**: Sichuan’s outbound transmission capacity now hits 62.6 GW—double the 13th Five-Year Plan period—drastically reducing hydropower curtailment during wet seasons.
**Engineering Milestones** - The Sichuan section, the most challenging, erected transmission towers at 4,797.9 meters above sea level, setting a world record for UHVDC construction at extreme altitudes. - Breakthroughs include self-developed 100-Mbps fiber-optic synchronization technology, solving millisecond-level control hurdles in high-altitude environments.
**Sichuan’s UHVDC Leadership** With this project, Sichuan now operates 8 UHVDC lines—the most in China—including: - Xiangjiaba-Shanghai (2010) - Jinping-Sunan (2012) - Xiluodu-Zhejiang (2014) - Yazhong-Jiangxi (2021) - Baihetan-Jiangsu & Baihetan-Zhejiang (2022) - Jinshang-Hubei (2025)
**Future Grid Expansion** Under the 14th Five-Year Plan, Sichuan aims to: - Complete the Chengdu 500 kV dual-ring grid. - Launch Ganzi-Aba-Panxi UHVDC projects and interprovincial corridors like "Gansu/Sinkiang Power to Sichuan." - Build a 3-inbound/3-outbound hub grid to reinforce its role as a national clean energy pivot.
Since 1998, Sichuan has transmitted over 1.9 trillion kWh cumulatively—matching the annual consumption of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui combined—showcasing the success of China’s "West-East Power Transfer" strategy.
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