China on Tuesday commissioned a ±800-kilovolt ultra-high-voltage (UHV) direct current (DC) transmission project linking Shaanxi Province in northwest China with Anhui Province in the country's east, expanding its long-distance power grid to deliver more renewable electricity across regions.

It is the first UHV DC project commissioned during the country's 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030).

The 1,055-kilometer transmission line runs from the Baotashan converter station in Yan'an, Shaanxi, to the Hezhou converter station in Hefei, Anhui.

With a rated transmission capacity of 8 million kilowatts, the project is expected to deliver more than 36 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, with renewable energy accounting for over half of the total, helping channel renewable electricity generated in northern Shaanxi to eastern China.

The project will integrate 11 million kilowatts of installed renewable energy capacity, helping accelerate large-scale clean energy development in northern Shaanxi, said Yang Pengcheng, deputy director of the converter station division of the UHV department at the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC).

It will increase Anhui's power supply capacity by 8 million kilowatts and help diversify the province's energy supply.

The project is expected to replace about 5.5 million tonnes of coal consumption and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by around 14.2 million tonnes each year.

It will also strengthen power supplies during peak summer demand, boosting the reliable electricity supply in Anhui and the wider East China region.

To date, SGCC has commissioned 43 UHV transmission projects, with cross-regional and cross-provincial transmission capacity exceeding 380 million kilowatts, enhancing the country's ability to transmit electricity efficiently across regions.

Environmental protection measures were incorporated throughout construction, as the transmission route crosses the Loess Plateau and the ecological protection area of the Qinling Mountains.

Along the Shaanxi section, about 35.9 hectares of vegetation were restored, more than 65,000 trees were replanted, and over 5,600 kilograms of grass seeds were sown.

The project is expected to support economic development in northern Shaanxi and improve the reliability of electricity supplies in Anhui.