By 7:00 am on June 19, Xinjiang has transmitted over 300TWh of electricity to the rest of China, of which 80TWh comes from renewable sources. Such a significant output enables the region to turn its rich resources into an edge for economic growth.

The volume of electricity transmitted from the Xinjiang grid to the rest of China has maintained a steady growth since 2010. Compared with an initial capacity of 3TWh in 2010, the transmitted volume in 2020 is expected to reach 100TWh, a 32-fold increase. Electricity is sent to 19 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, generating an income of over 65 billion yuan for Xinjiang's power industry. Since 2010, Xinjiang has sent over 300TWh of electricity to other regions across the country. This energy volume is equivalent to that of 96 million tons of standard coal, reflecting a reduction of 259.2 million tons of carbon dioxide, 816,000 tons of sulfur dioxide, and 710,000 tons of nitrogen oxide. Such accomplishments optimize energy allocation and conservation as well as emission reduction.

The Xinjiang Electric Power Company follows the local government’s market-based policies to boost development through the power industry. It follows the pattern of “inter-governmental agreements plus market-based deals” to expand Xinjiang’s outbound power transmission. On the supply side, the local government stresses the development of related power sources, and promotes both power generation and grid construction. On the demand side, it has signed agreements on power transmission with Henan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces via the Tianshan-Zhongzhou line, and Changji-Guquan line. To mobilize market players, it provides incentives for those who contribute to Xinjiang’s power industry development, and signed inter-governmental agreements on power transmission with 14 provinces and municipalities.

As of May 31, Xinjiang sent a total of 220.1TWh of electricity under its inter-governmental agreements. Of this volume, 174.5TWh were from newly installed generation and 45.6TWh were transmitted thanks to the policy on promoting the power industry in Xinjiang.

Since 2012, when the CPC held its 18^th National Congress, State Grid has provided support for Xinjiang to boost its electricity transmission by investing a total of 87.8 billion yuan in grid construction, which further attracted 101.8 billion yuan of direct investment in the local power generation and other industries. At the moment, Xinjiang has such a grid system that consists of four internal grids plus four external transmission channels. Its outbound transmission capacity has increased from 3GW in 2010 to 16.4GW, a four-fold rise. The region has fully leveraged the advantages of large-scale power grid and UHV technology.

The Xinjiang Electric Power Company has been committed to tapping the potential, enhancing the efficiency and improving the management of outbound power transmission. The company has optimized grid maintenance and operation, and established a mechanism that enables annual and monthly transactions, and facilitate peak shaving between and among regions. Moreover, it has introduced new measures to maximize transmission capacity so that Xinjiang could send more power to the rest of the country.

Source: State Grid News