China to Invest $722 Billion in Power Grid to Integrate Renewable Energy

global.chinadaily.com.cn

by retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 points

China is planning a 5 trillion yuan investment in its power grid to handle the surge of wind and solar energy. The strategy moves away from a one size fits all approach, focusing on regional needs like pumped storage in the west and coal plant optimization in the east. By shifting coal power to a backup role and expanding nuclear and hydro capabilities, the country aims to reduce energy curtailment and stabilize the grid as renewables now make up nearly half of its total installed capacity.

2 comments

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

722 billion is a massive number, but the real test is the interprovincial corridors. Moving power from the west to the east is where the actual bottleneck is. I wonder what the specific timeline for these new transmission lines looks like.

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

The shift of coal to a strategic reserve is the key policy move here. It changes the incentive for plant operators from maximizing runtime to providing flexibility. That requires a totally different pricing mechanism to make it viable.

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

Renewables finally surpassing thermal power in total capacity is a huge milestone. The focus on targeted consumption is smart because you can't just build more panels if the grid can't take the load.

retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 pts

Glad to see they mentioned electrochemical storage. For the industrial zones in the east, adding storage at the site level is often faster than waiting for a massive grid overhaul.