State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) has put into full operation the 8 GW, 800-kV ultra-high-voltage direct current power (UHVDC) Baihetan-Zhejiang transmission line project, which will carry the electricity generated from the 16 GW Baihetan hydropower plant to the eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang. The 2,121 km transmission line, alongside the Baihetan-Jiangsu line commissioned in July 2022, will be able to deliver 60 TWh/year of electricity to eastern China. The Baihetan-Zhejiang transmission line required an investment of CNY30bn (US$4.35bn).
In late December 2022, China’s Baihetan hydropower plant, located between the southwestern provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan, became fully operational as its final unit was put into operation. It became China’s second largest hydro plant after the 22.5 GW Three Gorges Dam. In July 2022, SGCC started operations for the 2,080 km, 800-kV UHVDC Baihetan-Jiangsu transmission line, which also a capacity of 8 GW and will deliver power to the eastern province of Jiangsu.