When the waterway needs to pass under the high-voltage line, a precise game between electricity and shipping unfolds. On June 8, 2026, on the same day that the Three Gorges Water Transport New Channel started construction in Yichang, Hubei, the Three Gorges Power Transmission Channel Relocation Project was launched simultaneously.

48 lines make way

State Grid Hubei Electric Power will relocate 8 500 kV main lines and 40 220 kV and below lines, totaling 48 lines. The Three Gorges Dam is the core support point for ensuring power supply in central, eastern, and southern China. From June to September each year, the transmission channel delivers 316 million kilowatt hours of clean electricity per day, meeting the electricity needs of approximately 24 million households. The new water transportation channel needs to cross under the existing route, and relocation is imperative.

Daily average transmission not less than 300 million kilowatt hours

The project establishes a plan for staggered low water flow, peak avoidance period, segmented relocation, and ring network transfer. From October to April of the following year, high-voltage line power outages are arranged in a centralized manner, and low-voltage distribution network cutovers are completed using monthly electricity consumption troughs and early morning load gaps. By the end of December 2026, 20 key railway lines will be relocated. During the relocation period, relying on the mature ring network architecture of the Three Gorges region, measures such as load shifting and temporary bypass installation were taken to ensure that the daily average transmission of electricity during critical periods remained stable at over 300 million kilowatt hours.

Water transportation and electricity never conflict on the Yangtze River, and this relocation is a microcosm of their synergy.Editor/Cheng Liting