Chinese power transmission network operator State Grid has commissioned a 1,100 kV UHVDC (ultra high voltage direct current) line, which stretches over 3,293 km between Changji in Xinjiang (northeastern China) and Guquan in Anhui (eastern China), crossing Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi and Henan provinces. The CNY 40.7bn (US$5.9bn) project has a transmission capacity of 12 GW, enough to supply 66 TWh/year to 50 million households and to reduce coal consumption by more than 30 Mt/year.
It is the first 1,100 kV UHVDC (ultra high voltage direct current) line ever to be installed in the world, with the most advanced in technology, the highest voltage, the largest transmission capacity, and the longest transmission distance. The project, known as the "Power Silk Road", is part of China's strategy to develop large wind and solar projects in Xinjiang - the construction of new coal-fired power plants in the province has been banned due to an expected overcapacity - and to export power to eastern China. It was approved in December 2015 and construction started in January 2016.