China switches on first cross-border
power grid from Russia
Jul 25, 2007 - China Business News
China has given the green light for the construction
of its very first cross-border high-voltage power
grid to transport electricity from Russia. According
to the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration
Commission, 5,000 kilometers of power grid with capacity
of 500 kilovolts would be established by the State
Grid Corp of China along the borders of both countries.
The Shanghai Securities News forecasted that the project
is likely to boast a six-fold surge in power supply
from Russia to China. The fourth largest economy in
the world with a robust growth of 11.5% in the first
half, China's appetite for electricity is sizzling
amidst surging power consumption to drive its industrial
sectors. The State Grid Corp. of China (SGCC) revealed
that electricity consumption in the first quarter
of 2007 witnessed a rise of 15% year on year, or 3
percentage points to 719 billion kilowatt-hours of
electricity. A memo was inked between the Unified
Energy System of Russia (RAO) and the State Grid Corporation
of China two years ago to pledge commitment towards
more intimate power tie-ins between both parties.
The board of Unified Energy System (UES), Russia's
power grid operator, is reportedly planning to boost
electricity supplies to Northeastern China up to 3.6-4.5
billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) starting from next year.
Russia's electricity export volume to China is also
forecasted to soar to 18 billion kWh from 2011 and
38 billion kWh from 2015 on. Source: China Business
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