Major power transmission line to complete early

BEIJING - A power transmission line connecting Xinjiang with other areas in northwest China will be completed in June next year, three months ahead of schedule, as the main construction work concluded on Saturday.

The 1,099-km line of 750 kv started construction on May 13 with an investment of 9.56 billion yuan ($1.5 billion).

Upon completion, the line will carry wind and solar-generated electricity in Jiuquan of Gansu province, Hami of Xinjiang, and Qaidam Basin in Qinghai province to the rest of the country, the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) said on Saturday.

The line will increase Xinjiang outward power transmission capacity to 5 million kilowatts, or 40 billion kilowatt hours a year, according to the SGCC. It will also ease power shortage in Qinghai.

Power grid in Xinjiang was first connected with Northwest China Grid in 2010 with a similar route, which has provided 6.35 billion kilowatt hours for central and northern China by the end of November, equivalent to carrying 3 million tons of coal to thermal power plants in the areas.

Another 800-kv power transmission line running from Xinjiang's Hami to Zhengzhou of Central China's Henan province is being built.