Power industry co-op in full swing
Sep 21, 2006 - Dian Li - China Daily
A new power supply project between Russia and Heilongjiang
will help both nations strengthen economic and trade
ties. Under the China-Russia Direct-Current Power
Grid Project, which will soon begin, electricity will
be transmitted from Russia's Far East to Northeast
China's Heilongjiang Province. It is estimated that
about 3.6 - 4.3 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity
will be transmitted from Russia to Heilongjiang annually
by 2008. After the project's completion, the power
supply from Russia to Northeast China will reach 38
billion kilowatt-hours a year by 2015. "Russia, as
a big exporter of energy, and China, as a big energy
user, have many co-operation opportunities in the
energy sector," said an official from the Heilongjiang
provincial government. Energy from Russia, which has
the world's fourth largest power network, will help
ease the pressure on the power grid in Heilongjiang,
the official added. Russia began transmitting electricity
to Heilongjiang in early 1992. It has built two power-transmitting
lines to China since then. By the end of last year,
Russia had transmitted a total of 1.65 billion kilowatt-hours
of electricity to Heilongjiang, worth US$35.4 million.
Besides power co-operation, Heilongjiang has also
seen a rapid development of trade and economic co-operation
with Russia in the past few years. In 2005, Heilongjiang's
import and export volume with Russia hit US$8.91 billion,
an increase of 48.5 per cent over the previous year.
Neighbouring eastern Russia, Heilongjiang signed a
total of 64 engineering and labour service contracts
with the nation last year, with a contractual volume
reaching US$160 million, up 28 per cent over the previous
year. In addition, it signed another 44 engineering
and labour contracts with Russia in the first six
months of this year, with a contractual volume hitting
US$150 million, an increase of 107 per cent over the
same period last year. A total of 26 Heilongjiang-funded
enterprises have also been set up in Russia in the
first half of this year, with registered capital of
US$65.7 million. Agricultural co-operation between
Heilongjiang and Russia has also been strengthened
over the last few years. In 2005, Heilongjiang's agricultural
exports to Russia hit US$420 million, up 57.4 per
cent over the previous year.
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