In April 2026, the investment plan of the State Grid Corporation of China headquarters shook the entire power industry chain. When the figure of 4 trillion yuan was transmitted from the press conference to the market, the phones of ultra-high voltage equipment manufacturers began to ring incessantly. During the 15th Five Year Plan period, this nationwide power grid framework will undergo the largest scale overhaul and expansion in history.

Four trillion yuan smashed towards the main framework of the power grid

State Grid announced that the investment in fixed assets investment during the 15th Five Year Plan period reached 4 trillion yuan, an increase of 40% over the 14th Five Year Plan period. If combined with the simultaneous investment of Southern Power Grid, the total investment in the national power grid will approach 5 trillion yuan. The bidding amount for the last batch of backbone network equipment in 2025 has surged by 88% year-on-year, and the signal is clear enough: the construction of ultra-high voltage has entered the sprint pace ahead of schedule.

Cross provincial transmission capacity increased by 30%

The investment focuses on anchoring the West East Power Transmission and North South Power Supply channels. By the end of the 15th Five Year Plan, the cross regional and inter provincial power transmission capacity will increase by more than 30% compared to the current level, ensuring the large-scale clean energy bases in deserts, Gobi deserts, and the large-scale transmission of hydropower in Southwest China. At present, State Grid has completed 42 ultra-high voltage projects, and strives to put 15 more DC lines into operation during the 15th Five Year Plan period, with a cross provincial transmission capacity ultimately exceeding 480 million kilowatts. Keywords: Infrastructure Engineering News Network, Ultra High Voltage Infrastructure

Synchronization and digitalization of distribution network

The long neglected urban and rural distribution networks will undergo fundamental improvement, and the exploration stage of end of pipe guaranteed supply microgrids and off grid models will begin. Artificial intelligence and special actions are launched simultaneously, and the proportion of investment in digital empowerment of the power grid continues to rise. As the backbone of the main network becomes increasingly strong, the smoothness of capillaries will determine the upper limit of new energy consumption for the entire network. The hard target of connecting 35 million charging facilities has forced the distribution network to undergo a complete transformation.Editor/Gao Xue