The Ministry of Environmental Protection, China, approved the Environmental Impact Reports on the State Grid Corp. of China Hami-Zhengzhou ±800kV UHV DC Project and the Xiluodu-Western Zhejiang ± 800kV UHV DC Project, replying that once the environmental protection measures proposed in the reports were implemented, the projects' impact on the environment could be effectively controlled.
The Hami-Zhengzhou ±800kV UHV DC Project starts at the Xinjiang Hami converter station and ends at the Henan Zhengzhou converter station, weaving its way through Xinjiang, Gansu, Shaanxi, Ningxia, Shanxi and Henan provinces. The 2210.2-km DC line has a voltage level of ±800 kV and rated transmission capacity of 8 GW. This project will help make full use of the rich coal and wind power resources in Hami and consequently promote the coal-fired and wind power development in Hami energy base.
The project can facilitate the transformation of Xinjiang’s resource advantages into concrete economic advantages, promote regional economic and social development, and meet the needs for the load growth in Henan and the healthy economic development.
Xiluodu-Western Zhejiang ±800kV UHV DC Project starts from the Sichuan Shuanglong converter station and ends at the Western Zhejiang converter station, passing through the five provinces of Sichuan, Guizhou, Hunan, Jiangxi and Zhejiang. The 1679.9-km DC line has a voltage level of ±800 kV and rated transmission capacity of 8 GW. The project will send hydropower from western China to the load centers in eastern China, promoting the hydropower development in the western regions and the optimized allocation of clean energy resources in a larger scope. The project has the potential of finally concretizing two long-expected goals: one is to bridge the development gap between regions in China, and the other is to relieve land and environmental pressures in the load regions.
The environmental protection documents need to be ratified rapidly, which is a challenging task. However, with coordination from the Headquarters, the provincial companies involved have managed to act as one, overcome the obstacles, and communicate actively with provincial environmental protection departments. As a result, the conditions are ripe for the national supportive documents to be processed smoothly.
Previously, the soil and water preservation programs and the preliminary land use examination for these two projects have been approved by the Ministry of Water Resources and the Ministry of Land and Resources. Now the preliminary national supportive documents for Hami-Zhengzhou and Xiluodu-Western Zhejiang UHV DC Projects have all been completed as required by the country. It has set a good foundation for an early assessment and the start of the construction within this year.
