China's first city to manage power supply stability, after four decades Zhuhai now has a world-leading electricity network.

According to the National Energy Administration, Zhuhai ranks first among 326 prefecture-level cities nationwide with an average power supply reliability of 99.99 percent, which means power fails in the city on average for only 33 minutes in a year.

In 1980, there were only one 110kV and two 35kV transformer substations in the city. Lamps and electric appliances were often affected due to outdated distribution circuits and low-level voltage. The power distribution network was upgraded when the city's first 220kV transformer substation was put into use in 1983.

Cornerstone laying at Zhuhai Power Plant in 1993 [Photo provided by Duan Guanghui to Guanhai App]

Meanwhile, advanced reliability concepts of Macao power supply enterprises as also influenced Zhuhai as it began to supply power to Macao via 110kV cables in 1984.

In the 1990s, Zhuhai's electricity consumption almost doubled year after year when scores of enterprises began to build plants in the city. The local power supply, however, couldn't keep up, which led to frequent power failures.

To address the problem, Zhuhai stepped up infrastructure construction, opening China's first transformer substation using integrative automatic technology in 1997 and the city's first 500kV power plant at Gaolan Port in 2000.

In addition, Zhuhai has sent technical teams to Germany, France, Singapore, and Spain to learn about loop power supply and automatic power distribution technologies. China's first 220kV loop power supply network was operated in Zhuhai in the 1990s.

Power supply reliability has been incorporated into the full business circle from power grid planning and construction to system operation, safe production, and customer service. A modernized butterfly-shaped power supply network has taken form with four 500kV transformer substations in south and north-central Xiangzhou, Doumen, and Jinwan districts.

Notably, Hengqin New Area has achieved high power supply reliability in recent years based on a 20kV double-link loop supply grid design. It placed 8th globally in terms of "Access to Electricity" in 2019 -- 116 rungs higher than the previous year, according to the World Bank.