China unveils comprehensive blueprint for new-type power grid construction

According to the National Energy Administration, the National Energy Administration convened a working conference on 1 September to deploy the construction of the new-type power grid. The meeting reviewed the achievements China has made in power grid development, analysed the new situation and requirements ahead, and laid out the major tasks for building the new-type power grid in full.

The power grid is a major national network infrastructure, bearing directly on economic and social development as well as energy security. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the country's power grid construction has achieved leapfrog progress, with continuously improving infrastructure, markedly enhanced service levels and steadily accumulated technological strengths, securing historic accomplishments in grid development.

The meeting stressed that during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, China's electricity demand will continue to grow at an average annual rate of roughly 5 per cent. The share of new energy generation will rise further, high-end industries will register steady growth in demand for high-quality green electricity, new business models and formats will emerge at an accelerated pace, and competition over core technologies will intensify, all of which places higher demands on new-type power grid construction.

The meeting emphasised that building the new-type power grid represents a profound transformation spanning new architecture, new technologies and new services, and must be advanced through integrated planning and systematic measures. Four priorities were set out.

The first priority is to consolidate the strengths of infrastructure and build a new coordinated architecture of main grid, distribution grid and microgrids. This architecture will strengthen the safety and stability of the large power grid, fully leverage the role of distribution networks as public platforms, and promote flexible and diverse interaction among smart microgrids.

The second priority is to give full play to the leading role of innovation. Research, development and application of new grid technologies, including artificial-intelligence-enabled systems, flexible grid-forming technologies, intelligent dispatch and control, and long-duration energy storage, will be accelerated to foster the development of new quality productive forces.

The third priority is to strengthen diversified support and safeguards. New grid services that are friendly and adaptable to emerging business forms will be upgraded, covering efficient integration and consumption of new energy, high-quality power supply and coordinated operation of computing and power systems, so as to better serve industrial development and public demand.

The fourth priority is to firmly hold the bottom line of safe operation. The safe and stable operation of the large power grid must be guaranteed, engineering safety and quality management tightened, and disaster prevention and emergency response capacity improved to enhance the resilience of the grid.

The meeting pointed out that new-type power grid construction is connected on one side to upstream projects such as new energy generation and on the other side to downstream users including industrial, commercial and residential consumers. It carries strong ripple effects and a massive scale of investment, providing important support for both boosting near-term investment and adjusting the structure over the long term.

Three specific work streams were defined. The first is to accelerate the approval and construction of major power grid projects such as transmission corridors. Grid enterprises should advance project delivery with lean management and give full play to the investment-driving role of major projects, while local energy authorities should speed up the processing of all supporting documents.

The second is to strengthen the overall co-ordination and advancement of new-type grid construction. Local energy authorities should sort out the project and task lists for new-type power grid programmes within their jurisdictions, assign responsibilities level by level, and guide local grid enterprises to intensify the construction of provincial trunk grids and distribution networks.

The third is to intensify policy support and implementation. The National Energy Administration will work with relevant central ministries and local energy authorities, give full play to the mechanism of regular monitoring, scheduling and coordination for key energy projects, and help resolve major issues arising in project delivery. Private enterprises will be encouraged to invest actively in new-type power grid construction and share the new opportunities and benefits it brings.