China Kicks Off Massive Clean Energy Power Line from Xizang to Greater Bay Area

According to Rokna, citing Xinhua, China on Tuesday launched construction of a vast ultra-high voltage (UHV) power transmission line designed to deliver clean energy from the Xizang Autonomous Region in the country’s southwest to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

The ±800 kV direct current project carries a total investment of around 53.2 billion yuan (approximately 7.5 billion U.S. dollars). Originating in Qamdo, Xizang, and ending in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, the line will extend for about 2,681 kilometers, passing through Yunnan Province and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, according to Dong Yanle, deputy general manager of the engineering construction department of China Southern Power Grid Co., Ltd.

This will be the first UHV power transmission line in China to cross the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, and the hilly regions of southern China. Once fully operational in 2029, it will have a rated capacity of 10 GW and provide more than 43 billion kWh of electricity annually to the Greater Bay Area.

The line will exclusively transmit electricity from clean energy sources, Dong noted, emphasizing that the supply will be equivalent to saving 12 million tonnes of standard coal each year while reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 33 million tonnes. “This project will make economic development greener and cleaner,” he said.

Rao Hong, chief scientist at China Southern Power Grid, highlighted that the initiative will address world-class challenges, including the large-scale transmission of clean energy, the application of UHV flexible direct current technology at ultra-high altitudes, and the complexities of construction in extreme environments.

Nearly 90 percent of the route runs through mountainous terrain, where workers will confront permafrost, geological hazards, environmental protection demands, and uninhabited zones. Additional obstacles include developing new direct current transmission technologies and equipment capable of operating at altitudes above 4,300 meters.

In recent years, China has invested heavily in UHV transmission projects to move electricity from its resource-rich western regions to its fast-developing east, while boosting consumption of renewable energy for sustainable growth.

Xizang, one of China’s major clean energy hubs, is rich in hydropower, wind, and solar resources and already operates several UHV lines supplying power across the country.

The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, among China’s most economically dynamic regions, is also a leader in green and high-quality development. In 2024, green electricity trading in the region reached 49.1 billion kWh—an elevenfold increase over the previous year—representing 39 percent of the national total.