Except China's northwest grids, the initial stage of the national grids has been formed with the total electricity transmission capacity hitting around 10 million kwh.

According to the State Grid Corporation, due to the severe shortage of electricity, the State Grid Corporation makes full use of the resources now available and gives play to the capacity of power-generating and distributing equipments in order to optimize resources and satisfy the large social demand for electricity. Since the beginning of this year, with the completion and operation of such programmes as the DC transmission between the Three Gorges and Guangzhou province, the enhanced power grids between northeast China and north China and between Sichuan province and Chongqing municipality, China's capability of cross-regional power diversion has been further improved and the volume of cross-regional and cross-provincial power diversion increased.

The statistics show that the cross-regional power supply capacity of the State Grid Corporation reached 41.67 billion kwh in the first eight months of this year. In the peak supply period this year, particularly in summer, all the cross-regional power lines were operating to full capacity. Diversion of 1.2 million kwh electricity was made from northeast China to north China. East China received 26.33 billion kwh from outside. The Three Gorges transmitted 248 kwh to regions in south China. All these relaxed the power shortages in east China, north China and south China as well.

It is reported that the total of the cross-regional power capacity reached 38.88 billion kwh in 2003, which is equivalent to the annual generating capacity of a medium-sized provincial power grid. It is estimated that the national cross-regional power supply is likely to target 60 billion kwh in 2004, which is supposed to further demonstrate the optimization of the power grids.

By People's Daily Online