The Qinghai Tibet Interconnection Project, which was put into operation in December 2011, is the first power heaven road to Xizang and the core channel for Xizang power grid to connect to the large power grid. In order to meet the growing demand for electricity, State Grid Corporation of China completed the second phase expansion after one and a half years, increasing the transmission power from 600000 kilowatts to 1.2 million kilowatts, and officially put it into operation at the end of September 2025.

Bidirectional reciprocity, mutual assistance and protection

The hydropower output of Xizang is insufficient in winter and spring, and the expanded Qinghai Tibet DC will supply 1.2 million kilowatts of high-power power; In summer and autumn, large-scale transmission of clean energy such as hydropower and photovoltaics will be achieved. In the first quarter of 2026, the project will deliver 1.43 billion kWh of electricity to Xizang, an increase of more than 50% year on year. From its initial operation until the end of the first quarter, it has delivered over 2.12 billion kilowatt hours of electricity and sent out 390 million kilowatt hours of surplus hydropower.

As of the first quarter of 2026, the total installed capacity of Qinghai Electric Power reached 84.95 million kilowatts, with clean energy installed capacity of 79.24 million kilowatts, accounting for 93.3%, and new energy installed capacity of 62.83 million kilowatts, accounting for 74%. In 2025, Qinghai will add 10.47 million kilowatts of power and 1.88 million kilowatts of energy storage, which will strongly support Xizang's supply assurance and regional energy optimization. At present, the two provinces and regions are accelerating the establishment of a long-term electricity mutual aid mechanism, promoting the signing of multi-year agreements, and advancing market-oriented transactions in stages.

Three dimensional inspection, guarding the sky road

State Grid Qinghai Electric Power has improved its full process operation and maintenance system and implemented special operation and maintenance measures at the ± 400 kV Qaidam converter station. The Tanggula Eagle Operation and Maintenance Team is stationed at an average altitude of 4650 meters on the front line. Seven team members inspect more than 600 kilometers of lines and 1394 iron towers every month, relying on a three-dimensional mode of "unmanned aerial vehicles+online monitoring+manual special patrols" for precise control. Regarding the high-altitude ecology, 5619 artificial bird nests have been installed, attracting more than 2900 birds to build nests. Keywords: DC engineering, ultra-high voltage

As of now, the cumulative transmission capacity of Qinghai Tibet DC has exceeded 24.1 billion kilowatt hours, with clean energy accounting for over 85%, making it one of the highest altitude and most difficult to maintain DC transmission projects in the world.Editor/Cheng Liting