Business & IndustryAnalysis
Xinjiang-Chongqing UHV DC Line Delivers Over 30 Billion kWh to Southwest China
The Hami-to-Chongqing ultra-high voltage power corridor has achieved a major supply milestone during the peak summer demand period.
Share
Photo by Miguel Á. Padriñán on Pexels
The Brief
The Hami-to-Chongqing ±800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current (UHVDC) power transmission line has cumulatively delivered over 30 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity to Chongqing, state media reported on July 30. Figures from State Grid Chongqing Electric Power Company indicate that total received electricity reached 30.108 billion kWh, with peak single-day transmission touching 145 million kWh. The cross-regional power corridor provides crucial supply support to Southwest China during peak summer electricity demand.
Why it matters
The milestone demonstrates how cross-regional ultra-high voltage power corridors bolster regional energy security in Southwestern China during peak summer demand. As extreme high temperatures drive localized power surges, long-distance transmission from Xinjiang provides a vital hedge against regional supply deficits and hydropower seasonal volatility.
China context
Under China's national West-to-East and West-to-South power transfer strategies, UHVDC channels allow remote, resource-rich western regions like Xinjiang to export surplus fossil and renewable power to major industrial centers. This infrastructure network aims to optimize national energy allocation while easing localized power shortages across eastern and southwestern industrial hubs.
Editor's View
EDITOR'S VIEW — Analysis and inference, not factual reporting.
The 30 billion kWh milestone highlights the operational reliance Southwestern China places on ultra-long-distance energy transmission to manage summer peak loads. While the corridor significantly strengthens grid stability in Chongqing, long-term operational performance will depend on optimizing the proportion of green power transmitted relative to coal-fired generation, as well as maintaining physical infrastructure integrity under severe summer heat stress.
What to watch
- Grid peak load performance in Chongqing during the remainder of the summer demand season.
- The maximum continuous throughput capability of the Xinjiang-Chongqing corridor under high-temperature conditions.
- Progress in expanding green power trading and auxiliary renewable power source construction along the transmission route.
Key Takeaways
- 1The Hami-to-Chongqing ±800 kV UHVDC project has delivered 30.108 billion kWh of cumulative electricity to Chongqing.
- 2Maximum daily electricity delivery reached 145 million kWh during peak operational load.
- 3The corridor serves as a key cross-regional energy artery linking northwestern power bases to southwestern consumption hubs during the summer peak load period.
The landmark ultra-high voltage direct current (UHVDC) power transmission corridor connecting Hami in Xinjiang to Chongqing has delivered over 30 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity to the southwestern municipality since entering operation, according to state news agency Xinhua on July 30. Official figures released by State Grid Chongqing Electric Power Company show that cumulative power received by Chongqing reached 30.108 billion kWh, with the daily maximum transmission volume touching 145 million kWh.
Officially designated as the Hami-to-Chongqing ±800 kV UHVDC power transmission project, the line functions as a strategic cross-regional energy artery traversing China's northwestern and southwestern territories. Amid the peak summer demand period, known locally as the summer grid operational peak, the channel has maintained sustained high-load and stable operation, providing crucial support to ensure residential power supplies and power local industrial growth.
At the Chongqing destination terminal, operational personnel at the Yubei ±800 kV converter station have intensified routine monitoring and inspection protocols to guarantee continuous operational integrity. Operational activities at the site include real-time monitor watch, remote automated patrols, and temperature monitoring on bushing equipment located within the converter transformer yard and AC filter fields, state media photos showed.
The project reflects China's ongoing national initiative to optimize energy allocation across regions by funneling electricity generated in resource-abundant western frontiers to industrial hubs in the central, eastern, and southwestern provinces. With high summer temperatures driving elevated power loads in urban centers, cross-provincial UHV corridors are designed to alleviate localized electricity deficits and smooth out regional power supply imbalances across the national grid. For Chongqing, the reliable inflow of long-distance electricity helps mitigate supply pressures when local power demand surges alongside seasonal cooling needs.
Sources
- “疆电入渝”工程累计入渝电量突破300亿千瓦时 — Xinhua News Agency · 7/31/2026