YINCHUAN - The world's first 660-kilovolt direct current power transmission system began to supply energy from Northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region to the eastern Shandong province Monday.

The 10.4-billion-yuan ($1.6 billion) project is a part of China's West-East power transmission program.

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The cable system has a current-carrying capacity of 4 million kilowatts of electricity over a distance of 1,333 km through five provinces and regions.

Cui Jifeng, general manager of Ningxia Power Co, a subsidiary of the China Power Grid Co said the system was built to supply hydropower generated on the upper reaches of the Yellow River as well as thermal power produced in Ningxia to coastal Shandong.

The system was independently designed, produced, constructed and tested by Chinese companies, he said.

China's coal resources are mainly based in the West and North. The West-East power transmission program was initiated in 2000.