State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) has achieved two major ultra-high voltage (UHV) transmission milestones with the completion and full connection of the Gansu Section 1 of the ±800 kV Gansu–Zhejiang UHV direct current (UHVDC) line, and the commissioning of the 1,000 kV Caozhou UHV substation expansion project in Shandong province on June 30, 2026.
SGCC’s subsidiary, State Grid Gansu Electric Power Company, completed the Gansu Section 1, located in Minqin county, Wuwei city. The 135.6-km line comprises 273 transmission towers and crosses two expressways, two provincial highways, one railway, and multiple power and communication lines. As the only section traversing around 115 km of the Tengger Desert, with about 85 per cent of tower foundations located in sandy terrain, the project adopted fully mechanised construction, innovative foundation techniques, and ecological restoration measures.