In the hinterland of the Kubuqi Desert, a 700 kilometer long "electric highway" has officially started construction. Its goal is to continuously transmit the clean electricity "grown" in the desert to the Beijing Tianjin Hebei urban agglomeration 1500 kilometers away.

This is a key project of the national 14th Five Year Plan for power development - the Mengxi to Beijing Tianjin Hebei ± 800 kV high-voltage direct current transmission project, which will officially start construction at the end of 2025. It is not only the first transmission channel for the Shagehuang new energy base in Inner Mongolia, but also the first ultra-high voltage direct current project to land in Hebei.

The project starts from Dalate Converter Station in Ordos, Inner Mongolia and ends at Xiongnan Converter Station in Cangzhou, Hebei, passing through three provinces of Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, and Hebei, with a total investment of approximately 17.2 billion yuan.

Fill the gap of Hebei ultra-high voltage landing point

In December 2025, the Mengxi to Beijing Tianjin Hebei ultra-high voltage direct current project officially entered the construction phase. This long planned power artery has finally moved from blueprint to reality. As one of the Three Connections and Nine Direct Transmission Projects in the 14th Five Year Plan for Electric Power, its approval marks a crucial step for China in the cross regional allocation of clean energy. This project will fill the gap in Hebei as a landing point for ultra-high voltage direct current projects.

From the technical parameters, the project adopts ± 800 kV high-voltage direct current transmission technology, with a designed transmission capacity of 8 million kilowatts and a total length of about 700 kilometers. The construction period of the project is about two years, and it is planned to be completed and put into operation by the end of 2027.

Kubuqi Desert becomes an energy oasis

The selection of the starting point for the project is of great strategic significance - the Kubuqi Desert in Dalat Banner, Ordos City. A new energy base with a total installed capacity of 16 million kilowatts is currently under construction here. The installed capacity of supporting power sources for the project reaches 16.2 million kilowatts, including 8 million kilowatts of photovoltaic power, 4 million kilowatts of wind power, 200000 kilowatts of solar thermal power, and 4 million kilowatts of regulated coal-fired power. This integrated model of wind, solar, fire, and storage is an innovative practice in the development of the Shage Wilderness Base.

According to calculations, the project can deliver approximately 36 billion kilowatt hours of clean energy annually after completion, equivalent to 7% of the total electricity consumption in Hebei Province in 2024. The large-scale transmission of green electricity will directly change the energy consumption structure of the Beijing Tianjin Hebei region.

Win win situation between ecological governance and economic development

Unlike traditional energy projects, this ultra-high voltage channel carries multiple missions. At the ecological level, engineering construction will be promoted in coordination with desert management, combining new energy development with ecological restoration.

At the economic level, an investment of 17.2 billion yuan will directly drive local economic growth and create a large number of job opportunities. During the construction period, various technical workers and construction personnel are required, and a professional operation and maintenance team is also needed after the project is put into operation.

For the Beijing Tianjin Hebei region, the project will significantly enhance the power supply guarantee capability of Hebei Southern Power Grid and alleviate the long-standing power shortage problem that has plagued the region. At the same time, by introducing a large amount of clean electricity, it will help achieve the goal of green and low-carbon energy transformation in the Beijing Tianjin Hebei region.

Domestic equipment creates power super engineering

It is worth noting that the project will apply domestically developed ultra-high voltage core equipment in bulk. This technological breakthrough means that China has achieved a transformation from following to leading in the field of ultra-high voltage transmission.

Ultra high voltage direct current transmission technology has the advantages of large transmission capacity, long distance, and low loss, making it particularly suitable for transporting clean energy from the western region to the eastern load center. The large-scale application of domestically produced equipment not only reduces construction costs, but also ensures national energy security.

The project passes through Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, and Hebei provinces, with complex terrain along the way, involving various landforms such as deserts, mountains, and plains. This poses challenges to engineering construction and also tests the maturity of China's ultra-high voltage technology.

In the evening, the photovoltaic panels in the Kubuqi Desert emit blue light under the setting sun, while the lights of office buildings in Beijing, over a thousand kilometers away, have just come on. In two years, the solar energy captured in the desert will follow this new artery and light up the night sky of the metropolis without any chemical conversion. Keywords: energy news, engineering construction

This is not only the flow of electricity, but also a concrete practice of China's regional coordinated development and energy revolution. When the desert is connected to the city through ultra-high voltage, a new balance point is found between resource endowment and energy demand.Editor/Cheng Liting