±800 kV Longdong-Shandong UHVDC Project (Gansu Section) Fully Begins Overhead Line Construction

On June 17, the construction for the first overhead line segment (conductors N0066-N0080) of the ±800 kV Longdong-Shandong Ultra-High Voltage Direct Current (UHVDC) transmission project in Gansu officially began, as two 1,250 square millimeter silver conductors rose slowly from tower position N0080.

This transmission project is China's first large-scale integrated energy base combining wind, solar, coal-fired energy and energy storage, featuring energy export. It also served as a key provincial project listed by the Gansu Provincial People's Government in 2023. Starting at the Qingyang converter station in Qingyang City, Gansu Province, and terminating at the Dongping converter station in Tai'an City, Shandong Province, the project passes through Gansu, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, and Shandong provinces, spanning a total length of 926 kilometers. The Gansu section begins at the Qingyang converter station in Shishe Township, Xifeng District, and ends at the border between Heshui County and Fu County in Yan'an City, Shaanxi Province, covering a distance of 108 kilometers connected by a total of 182 newly-built towers. Currently, excavation has been completed for 180 tower foundations, accounting for 99 percent of the total, concrete pouring has been finished for 180 tower foundations, also at 99 percent, and tower assembly has been 84 percent complete (152 towers). The project has now entered the full-scale overhead line construction, aiming for full line connection by the end of October and live operation by December.

For overhead line installation, the project adopts the "Visualized Centralized Control Intelligent Tensioning Equipment" developed independently by the State Grid Gansu Electric Power Co., Ltd. This equipment features maximum preset tension, safety protection, fault alarms, high automation and reliability, allowing for remote control of individual tensioning equipment or centralized control of multiple tensioning equipment. It caters to the construction requirements of transmission lines at different voltage levels and enables real-time monitoring of the entire stringing process through a combination of video surveillance systems and self-organized networks or public networks.

Since the project's commencement of construction on August 1, 2023, State Grid Gansu Electric Power Co., Ltd. has adopted a cluster-based construction management mode, rigorously controlling site safety and quality. It has closely linked each phase of construction, consistently adhering to the principles of safety first and quality supremacy for more integrated, coordinated, and orderly project construction. Resource allocation has been optimized, and mechanized construction has been fully promoted to reduce operational safety risks and improve construction efficiency. The goal is to create a benchmark high-quality project that is "safe, reliable, high-quality, compliant with regulations, environmentally friendly, and exemplary."

The completion of this project will accelerate the green and low-carbon transformation of power sector and promote high-quality development in the old Longdong revolutionary area and the Yellow River Basin. As one of the major channels of China's west-to-east transmission program, this project will further leverage the energy resources of the western region into economic advantages, continuously delivering clean electricity from the west to the vast eastern regions, effectively supporting regional economic development, and contributing significantly to proper resource allocation, energy structure optimization, and high-quality socioeconomic development. (Text/Photo by Lei Qingran, Yan Min, Liang Jingrui)