China’s record-breaking energy project
China’s West-to-East Power Transmission Project delivers clean energy from remote regions to eastern megacities, reshaping global ideas of power infrastructure.
Image for illustrative purposes
China: China is now home to the world’s largest energy transmission project, moving massive amounts of clean electricity from the country’s vast western regions to its energy-hungry eastern cities. In 2023 alone, 2.4 trillion kWh of electricity were transmitted, enough to power five Germanys, with more than 80 % coming from renewable sources.
The project, known as the West-to-East Power Transmission Project, is a landmark initiative launched in the early 2000s to solve a national imbalance: the east needs the power, but the west has the resources. Now, thanks to thousands of kilometres of UHV lines, clean energy generated in areas like Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, Yunnan, and Sichuan powers over 500 million people in cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou.
At the heart of the project is UHV transmission technology, which allows electricity to travel across long distances with minimal loss. China leads the world in this field, holding over 80 % of UHV-related patents and having built 39 UHV corridors by the end of 2023.
China’s success is already going global. In Brazil, China’s State Grid has launched its third overseas UHV project, bringing clean energy from the country’s north to cities in the south, serving around 12 million people.
By connecting clean energy with demand, China is setting a new standard in global energy transition – proving that renewable power does not need to stay where it is made.
Source: Daily Sabah
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