BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s State Grid will invest a record over 650 billion yuan ($88.7 billion) in the country’s power grid this year, state-run CCTV said on Wednesday, up from 600 billion in 2024.
The country’s main national grid operator said it would focus on optimising the power grid, strengthening distribution infrastructure and providing for the high-quality development of renewable power.
China’s massive build out of renewable power plants requires increased investments in the grid infrastructure, which experts have warned could otherwise be overwhelmed.
State Grid is also building massive long-distance ultra-high voltage (UHV) transmission lines to bring power from mega-bases in western China to the country’s population centres, three of which it put into operation in 2024 for a total of 38 now completed, according to the report.
This year, it will start construction on another UHV line running from northwestern Shaanxi province to central Henan province.
It will also kick off construction on Shandong’s Zaozhuang and Zhejiang’s Tonglu pumped storage plants, among other key projects, the report said.
(Reporting by Colleen Howe; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)
