Western China to get power boost

China's largest power supplier, the State Grid Corporation, is to invest more than 24 billion yuan in boosting infrastructure in western China. Currently, around six hundred thousand people living in China's western regions have no electricity, or an unstable supply.

Coming home and lighting a candle as the only source of illumination in this ancient Tibetan house. Shidanzhen and his fellow villagers, which is about 123 households, have been relying on one transformer in the village and one hydraulic power plant for years.

Without power our lives are so inconvenient. The rural power grid is being upgraded. And they are also working on the construction of a power grid in our village. Although we are still without power, we will soon have it, and we feel very happy.

The family of Yangzhongsijia is one of the beneficiaries of the SGCC power grid construction. Yangzhongsijia was a welding technician, with no power at home. So he went to work in the cities. Last year, his family finally got a supply of electricity and this, as he said, has made his life easier.

Now there is electricity at home, and I rented a store here that mainly does business in welding and agricultural machinery parts. I feel pretty good. The increased income has helped our family.

As the power grid is being upgraded, many small hydropower plants are still in operation. More than 400 families have been relying on this hydroelectric power plant as their only source of power supply for 34 years. Tang Jianqiang is the only operator here and if he left, the nearly 1,500 people who rely on it would be facing darkness.

Long Zhou, director of Sichuan Electric Power Corp, SGCC, said, "The areas without power are mainly 3500 to 4000 meters of alpine mountains. The three main challenges are that employees have to work in areas with very bad road conditions, we have short construction times, plus the construction takes place under harsh conditions.

Experts say the upgrading and construction of power grids could benefit industries such as electricity and machinery manufacturing, as it would promote investment and consumption.

Liu Yang said, "Earlier this month, the State Grid Corporation of China signed agreements with Sichuan, Gansu, Qinghai provinces, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous region and Tibet Autonomous Region. Over 24 billion Yuan will be invested, and over six hundred thousand people will benefit from the project by 2015. "

Officials say over 10 thousand workers can join the labor force for the power upgrade. The Sichuan Electric Power Corporation says they plan to invest 7.25 billion yuan in reconstructing or upgrading five transformer 110 kV substation, a 110 kilovolt line that is 398 km long, and seventy 35 kV substations. All the residents without power will benefit from this project.