Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily (Reporter Chen Qiangwei) news: Informed by the State Grid Xinjiang Electric Power Co., Ltd., on July 21, 2024, the 220 kV power transmission and transformation project in the rare metal mine industrial park in Hetian County, the one with the highest altitude in China, successfully transmitted power. This signifies the official operation of the project, connecting the mountainous areas in southern Hotan Prefecture with the Xinjiang power grid, enabling the delivery of 2.16 billion kWh of electricity annually.

Photo taken on July 21 shows staff members at the 220 kV power transmission and transformation project in the rare metal mine industrial park in Hetian County, Hotan Prefecture, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo by Zhang Lingjun)

The 220 kV power transmission and transformation project in the rare metal mine industrial park of Hetian County originates from the Wutong 220 kV substation in Moyu County and terminates at the Lanzuan 220 kV substation. The entire line spans 210 kilometers, along sitting one newly constructed 220 kV substation, and 560 transmission towers erected. This project is one of the infrastructure supports for mineral development in Hetian County. With its highest tower located at an elevation of 5,390 meters, this project also represents the most challenging and highest-altitude 220 kV power transmission and transformation project in China.

After the project is put into operation, it will fundamentally address the issue of unstable electricity supply for farmers and herdsmen in the mountainous areas of southern Hotan, and also help resolve the shortage of electricity for the development of green mining industries in the local area.

The project commenced construction in February 2023 and took 16 months to complete, navigating a complex geographical environment with nearly 40 percent of the transmission lines located above an altitude of 4,000 meters. The geological conditions were varied, with steep mountains and drastic changes in terrain, featuring relative height differences exceeding 1,000 meters. Coupled with altitude sickness and oxygen deficiency, with air containing less than 13 percent oxygen above 5,000 meters, and the alternating impacts of avalanches, rockfalls, floods, storms, sandstorms, and intense radiation, the construction progress was slow, and the foundation construction in the frozen soil of the alpine and frigid regions was particularly challenging.

The transmission line traverses deserts, gobies, mountains, and high-altitude frozen soil, making it the only power project in China to date that traverses seven meteorological zones. During the construction process, the State Grid Xinjiang Electric Power Co., Ltd. tailored solutions to the local conditions and formulated and adopted a series of high-altitude operation plans.

Furthermore, the State Grid Xinjiang Electric Power Co., Ltd. has given full consideration to the fragile ecology of the alpine and frigid high-altitude regions, implementing a soil and water conservation plan. By planting trees, shrubs, and grasses in the project area, they have prevented soil erosion and formed a comprehensive protective engineering system to safeguard the green ecology.

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