Construction of world's highest altitude UHV AC power transmission project begins

(ECNS) -- Construction of the world’s highest altitude ultra-high voltage(UHV) alternating current(AC) power transmission project has started in southwest China recently.

Four new UHV substations will be built in southwest China’s Sichuan Province and Chongqing city, with a transformer capacity of 24 million kV.

With a total investment of 28.8 billion yuan ($3.94 billion), the project will also build 658 kilometers of 1000 kV double-circuit UHV lines, which is planned to be put into operation before summer 2025.

The altitude of Sichuan -Chongqing UHV AC power transmission lines will be over 4,700 meters, jumping from the existing 2,300 meters; the altitude of the 1000 kV UHV substations will be over 3,500 meters, jumping from the existing 1300 meters, and the size of the equipment will increase by more than 30 percent.

After the project is completed, the voltage of the main power grid in Southwest China will increase from 500 kV to 1,000 kV, transmitting 35 billion kWh of clean electric energy per year.