On August 19, 2006, Changzi County in Shanxi Province officially laid the foundation for China's first ultra-high voltage transmission and transformation project - the 1000 kV high-voltage AC test demonstration project from southeast Shanxi to Nanyang to Jingmen. On this day, a pile foundation deeply rooted in the Loess Plateau opened the magnificent journey of China's ultra-high voltage independent design, independent manufacturing, independent construction, and independent operation and maintenance. Twenty years later, State Grid has completed and put into operation 43 ultra-high voltage projects, with a cross regional and inter provincial transmission capacity of over 380 million kilowatts. From the first pile foundation in the land of Sanjin to the silver wire network spanning across China, China's ultra-high voltage has taken 20 years to embark on a leap from catching up to leading the way.

43 projects create energy backbone network framework

As of June 2026, State Grid has built a total of 22 AC and 21 DC ultra-high voltage projects, establishing an energy backbone network of West East power transmission, North South power supply, water fire mutual assistance, and wind solar complementarity. China's ultra-high voltage engineering construction scale, core technology, and safety operation level are leading the world in all aspects. China has established the world's first ultra-high voltage AC/DC standard system covering the entire process of planning and design, equipment manufacturing, construction, operation and maintenance, and has led the development of multiple IEC and IEEE international standards for ultra-high voltage. China's ultra-high voltage technical standards have become the core reference model for power cooperation along the the Belt and Road.

The transmission of electricity from the west to the east has exceeded 420 million kilowatts

China's energy resources and electricity load have long been inversely distributed, with the western region being rich in new energy but limited in demand, and the eastern region being economically developed but lacking in resources. Ultra high voltage transmission has a large capacity, long distance, low loss, and high efficiency, becoming a bridge connecting the western wind, solar, and water with the eastern factories, computing power, and thousands of lights. The 15th Five Year Plan for the Construction of a New Power System proposes that the total scale of West East power transmission and transmission should exceed 420 million kilowatts by 2030. During the 15th Five Year Plan period, State Grid Corporation of China will commence the construction of a batch of ultra-high voltage direct current transmission channels, striving to put into operation 15 ultra-high voltage direct current projects and increase cross provincial transmission capacity by 35%. Keywords: Infrastructure News Network, Ultra High Voltage, New Infrastructure

Technological Innovation and Equipment Going Global

After 20 years of hard work, China's complete sets of ultra-high voltage equipment have fully met the large-scale construction needs domestically, and have also achieved synchronous development of technology, standards, and complete sets of equipment overseas. Relying on iconic projects such as the first and second phases of Brazil's Beautiful Mountains, a total of 26 billion yuan of Chinese equipment, services, and technical standards have been driven to go global. Significant breakthroughs have been made in flexible direct current transmission technology, with the world's first set of ± 800 kV/8 million kW high-capacity flexible converter valves being fully applied. The world's first domestically produced ultra-high voltage converter transformer on load regulating switch, ± 1100 kV independently controllable ultra-high voltage DC control and protection equipment, and other core equipment have achieved breakthroughs in localization. From technology going to sea to standard output, from single project to multi-point development, more landmark projects have been launched. China's ultra-high voltage technology has provided a Chinese solution for global energy development along the the Belt and Road. In the past twenty years, China's power industry has transformed from a follower to a leader.Editor/Gao Xue