ARTICLE IN PRESS

Energy xxx (2009) 111

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Energy
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/energy

An overview of power transmission systems in China

Zhou Xiaoxin*, Yi Jun, Song Ruihua, Yang Xiaoyu, Li Yan, Tang Haiyan
China Electric Power Research Institute, Beijing, China

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: In the past 20 years, Chinas economy has grown rapidly, but so has the countrys power industry. This
Received 13 July 2007 paper provides a comprehensive introduction on the current status and the future development of the
Received in revised form power transmission systems and grids, which include HVAC and HVDC transmissions, regional power
19 December 2008
grids and grid interconnections, several important operational issues, e.g., stability problems that Chinas
Accepted 20 April 2009
power grids face, new technologies for increasing transmission capacity, and stabilizing the grids, and so
Available online xxx
on. Under the constructed UHVAC and UHVDC, some pilot projects and planned future development of
UHVAC and UHVDC transmission systems are also introduced.
Keywords:
Power industry 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Transmission system
Power grid
Grid interconnection
New technology
Power system stability

1. Introduction strengthen the interconnection of large regional grids. Four

Chinas electric power industry was started at the end of the
19th century [1]. Since 1949, the time when the Peoples Republic of
China was established, this industry has been growing very fast. By
the end of the 20th century, the total generating capacity of Chinas
power industry was already placed second in the world. AC/DC
transmission systems with 500 kV, 330 kV, and 220 kV AC lines,
and 500 kV DC lines were formed. There were 6 regional grids and
3 independent provincial grids in the main land of China. After the
year 2000, with the rapid development of the national economy,
Chinas power industry went into a new developing period. The
development of interconnection of regional grids accelerated, and
the goal of forming a nationwide power gird was preliminary
achieved in 2005. At the same time, according to the distribution of
resources and loads, China put forward its Power Transmission
from the West to the East plan and then carried it out step-by-step.
As a part of the plan, China will develop new 1000 kV UHVAC and
800 kV UHVDC transmission system in order to signicantly
increase the transfer capability under three important transmission
corridors, i.e., the north, mid, and south. These corridors can
transfer sufcient power from the hydro and coal red power
plants in the West to the East where economic development is
much more advanced. In the next 1020 years, China will
* Corresponding author. Fax: 86 10 62913126.
E-mail address: xxzhou@epri.ac.cn (Z. Xiaoxin).
synchronous grids interconnected by HVDC are being planned to be
established nationwide by the year 2020.
The rapid development of Chinas power grids creates oppor-
tunities but also presents challenges for the operation and control
of the grids. Some operation security problems like the transient
stability, the voltage stability, and the low frequency oscillation
have to be resolved, too. At the same time, for rapid load increase
and environmental protection, the transmission capacity of the
corridors must be increased. To overcome these challenges, Chinese
researchers have already started to develop new technologies,
including exible AC transmission system (FACTS) technologies, the
compact line, operation and control technologies of HVAC/HVDC
hybrid system, and so on. In the foreseeable future, these tech-
nologies will be widely applied to Chinas power grids to help
ensure the security of the grids.
2. Overview of the development of Chinas power industry
and power transmission systems
In 1882, the origin of the Shanghai Electrical Company
symbolized the beginning of Chinas power industry [16]. By the
end of 1949, the total installed capacity was 1.85 GW. After 1949,
Chinas power industry developed much faster. The annual total
installed capacity increased by 10%. In the two years, 1987 and
1995, the total capacity exceeded 100 GW and 200 GW, respec-
tively. In 1996, the total capacity reached to stand at the second
place in the world. Since 2000, Chinas GDP has increased 10%

0360-5442/$ see front matter 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.energy.2009.04.016

Please cite this article in press as: Xiaoxin Z, et al., An overview of power transmission systems in China, Energy (2009), doi:10.1016/
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 ARTICLE IN PRESS
2 Z. Xiaoxin et al. / Energy xxx (2009) 111
annually; correspondingly, the countrys power industry entered
into a new prosperous period. The total installed capacity reached
300 GW in April 2000, 400 GW in May 2004, and 500 GW in
December 2005. The power generation of 2005 was 2414 TWh, at
a 13.3% increase of the previous year. In 2006, the installed capacity
exceeded 622 GW. It is estimated that the development of Chinas
power industry will keep growing in the next 1020 years. By 2020,
the total installed capacity is expected to exceed 1500 GW.
Chinas power grid has passed through several periods. Before
1949, it developed very slowly, with a small scale. By the end of
1949, the total length of 20 kV or above transmission lines was
6475 km; the total capacity of all transformer substations was
3460 MVA.
After 1949, the construction of Chinas power grid accelerated,
and the standard for voltage level of transmission lines was
established, too. In 1954, the rst 220 kV power transmission
project, the Song Dong Li project in the northeast region of China
was completed, thus, transferring power from the Fengman hydro
plant to Liaoning province which is the base of Chinas heavy
industry. In 1955, the rst 110 kV power transmission project,
Beijing Dongbeijiao to Guanting project, was completed with
transmission lines stretching 105.9 km. In 1972, the rst 330 kV
power transmission project, the Liu Tian Guan project, was
completed. It started from the Liujiaxia hydro plant to the Tangyu
substation in Mei County, Guanzhong, Shanxi province via the
Qinan substation in Tianshui, Gansu province. The length of the
transmission lines is 534 km. This project established Chinas
Northwest Grid across several provinces. In 1981, the rst 500 kV
power transmission project, Ping Wu project, was completed. The
length of the transmission line is 594.8 km, which starts from
the Yaomeng power plant in Pingdingshan, Henan province to the
Fenghuangshan substation in Wuchang, via the Shuanghe substa-
tion in Hubei province. Later, 500 kV backbone grids were formed
gradually in the four regional grids including several provincial
grids, i.e., the Central China Gird, the Northeast China Grid, the
North China Grid, and the East China Grid. A 330 kV backbone grid
was formed in the Northwest China Grid. In 1989, the 500 kV
HVDC project from Gezhouba to Shanghai was completed; the
length of the transmission lines is 1052 km, and the rated capacity
is 1200 MW. This project interconnected two regional grids in
China for the rst time. In September 2005, the rst 750 kV power
transmission project started, which demonstrated the great prog-
ress made in Chinas power transmission technology. In the next
1020 years, China will continuously fund the construction of ultra
high voltage grids, and a nationwide grid with a backbone grid of
1000 kV AC lines and 800 kV DC lines.
With the drastic increase in the total length of transmission
lines and higher voltage levels, Chinas big regional grids are being
interconnected gradually. At the end of 1980s, the completion of
the 500 kV Gezhouba to Shanghai HVDC project established the
trans-regional interconnection. In 2001, the North China Power
Grid and the Northeast China Power Grid were interconnected. It
was the rst time that two big regional grids were interconnected
via an AC line in China. In October 2001, a 500 kV AC line inter-
connected the East China Power Grid and Fujian Power Grid. In May
2002, the project to transmit power from Sichuan province to
Central China was completed, interconnecting the Chuanyu Power
Grid and the Central China Power Grid. On May 5th, 2003, the
500 kV DC line with a rated capacity of 3000 MW from the Three
Gorges to Changzhou was put in to use. This line had the highest
transmission capability in the world at that time, transferring
power from the Three Gorges hydro plant to East China. In
September 2003, the Central China Power Grid and the North China
Power Grid were interconnected, and thereby an inter-regional AC
synchronized grid including the Northeast China Power Grid, the
Please cite this article in press as: Xiaoxin Z, et al., An overview of power transmission systems in China, Energy (2009), doi:10.1016/
j.energy.2009.04.016
North China Power Grid, the Central China Power Grid including
(the Chuanyu Power Grid) was formed. In 2004, this inter-regional
gird was interconnected with the South China Power Grid by a DC
line from the Three Gorges to the Guangdong province. In July
2005, a back-to-back DC project interconnected the Northwest
China Power Grid and the Central China Power Grid, completing the
nationwide grid interconnection. Later, with the completion of the
Three Gorge hydro plant and the Three Gorge transmission system,
a large AC and DC transmission system including the Central China
Power Grid and the East China Power Grid was formed. The fore-
casted total installed capacity is more than 200 GW. In the future,
with the completion of the north, middle, and south corridors in
the Power Transmission from West to East plan, there will be
a nationwide interconnected grid including the north, middle, and
east interconnected grids in China.
3. HVAC (EHVAC and UHVAC) transmission systems
At present, transmission lines in Chinas power transmission
system can be categorized into four voltage levels, i.e. 220 kV,
330 kV, 500 kV, and 750 kV [16]. The 330 kV and 500 kV trans-
mission lines make up the backbone grids. At the end of 2005, there
were 540 500 kV lines with a total length of 63,790 km and
204 500 kV substations with total transformer capacity of
282,100 MVA in major power grids. There were 154 330 kV lines
with total length of 12,842 km and 60 330 kV substations with total
transformer capacity of 25.21 GVA in the Northwest China. In the
1980s, the Ministry of Electric Power launched a study about higher
voltage level. According to the study, 750 kV and 1000 kV are
specied as the standard voltage levels, and they are one level
higher than 330 kV and 500 kV, respectively. On September 26,
2006, the rst 750 kV AC line in China from Guanting to Lanzhou
was put in use. In August 2006, Chinas rst 1000 kV AC pilot
project, from Changzhi, Shanxi province via Nanyang, Henan
province to Jinmeng, Hubei province, reached the stage of imple-
mentation. The two lines and some other lines that will be con-
structed in future will constitute Chinas future backbone grids.
3.1. The 330 kV AC transmission system in the Northwest China
Power Grid
For historical reasons, the Northwest China Power Grid is the only
large regional power grid which adopts 330 kV lines to make up its
backbone grid in China. In June 1972, the rst 330 kV transmission
project, the Liu Tian Guan project from Liujiaxia to Guanzhong via
Tianshui, was completed and put into operation. Later, for delivering
the power generated by the Hancheng power plant outward, another
330 kV line from Hancheng to Tongchuan via Zhuangtou was built. In
1985, a 330 kV line from the Qingling Power Pant to the Wuyuan
substation in Sanmenxia, Henan province.was completed, and
another 330 kV line from Jingyuan in Gansu province to Qingtongxia
in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region was completed. In October 1987,
for transmitting the outward power generated by the Longyangxia
hydro plant in the Qinghai province, two 330 kV lines named Long
Hua and Long Hai were built. In 1990, the Daba Power Plant in Ningxia
Hui Autonomous Region was put in use, and several 330 kV lines were
built to connect it to the grid. Up to then, a 330 kV trans-provincial
interconnected power grid was formed. Now, the northwest China
330 kV power grid extends from Wulan, Qinghai province and
Jiayuguan, Gansu province in the west, to Hancheng, Shanxi province
and the Qingling power plant in the east, to Qingtongxia, Ningxia Hui
Autonomous Region and Yuling, Shanxi province in the north, and to
Hanzhong and Ankang in Shanxi province in the south, along with
three 330 kV lines between Shanxi and Gansu province, six 330 kV
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Z. Xiaoxin et al. / Energy xxx (2009) 111
lines between Gansu and Qinghai province, and four 330 kV lines
between Gansu province and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.
3.2. The 500 kV AC transmission system in major power grids
From 1981, when the rst 500 kV line was built to the year 2005,
China had built many 500 kV lines with a total length of 61,308 km.
At present, except for the Northwest China Power Grid, the back-
bone grid of each Chinas big regional power grids is made up of
500 kV lines. Until 2005, there were 115 500 kV lines with total
length of 14,157 km and 74 transformers with a total capacity of
54.32 GVA in 50 500 kV substations in the North China Power Grid,
43 500 kV lines with a total length of 6141 km and 23 transformers
with total capacity of 17.56 GVA in 19 500 kV substations in the
Northeast China Power Grid, 93 500 kV lines with total length of
11,485 km and 98 transformers with total capacity of 64.62 GVA in
46 500 kV substations in the Central China Power Grid, 163 500 kV
lines with total length of 11,691 km and 104 transformers with total
capacity of 80.80 GVA in 70 500 kV substations in the East China
Power Grid, and 96 500 kV lines with total length of 15 400 km and
176 transformers with a total capacity of 92.66 GVA in 46 500 kV
substations in the South China Power Grid.
3.3. Pilot project of the 750 kV AC transmission line in the
Northwest China Power Grid and future development plan
The 750 kV pilot transmission project, the GuantingLanzhou-
dong project, is the rst 750 kV transmission project in China and
also the project with the highest altitude in the world [7,8]. The
project includes two 750 kV substations in Guanting, Qinghai
province and East Lanzhou, Gansu province, respectively, and
a 750 kV transmission line about 140km in length from the
Guanting substation to the Lanzhoudong substation. The rated
capacity of the main transformer in the Guanting substation is
1500 MVA, and so is the main transformer in the Lanzhoudong
substation. This project is signicant in gaining experience of
constructing transmission lines above 500 kV voltage level as well
as transferring power generated by the hydroelectric power plants
on the upper streams of the Yellow River and thermal power plants
in several provinces in the Northwest China to the East China area.
Fig. 1. The 1000 kV transmission line from Changzhi to Jingmen.
Please cite this article in press as: Xiaoxin Z, et al., An overview of power transmission systems in China, Energy (2009), doi:10.1016/
j.energy.2009.04.016
3
In the next 1020 years, a 750 kV power grid will be constructed
in Northwest China. The preliminarily determined goal is as
follows.
By the end of 2010, the Northwest China 750 kV backbone
power network will form a shape which looks like a letter A. The
Laxiwa hydro plant in Qinghai province is the vertex, and Guanz-
hong in the Shanxi province and Ningdong in the Ningxia Hui
Autonomous Region are the supporting points of the letter. In the
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, a 750 kV power grid will be
built too, and the main Northwest China Power Grid and Xinjiang
Power Grid will be interconnected by 750 kV AC lines. Thus, a large
interconnected synchronized power grid including Shanxi, Gansu,
Qinghai provinces and Ningxia, Xinjiang autonomous region and
the main corridors extending east will be formed. The ability of
power exchange will increase greatly and the power grid will be
more stable.
By the end of 2020, the Northwest China 750 kV Power Grid will
be more powerful than 2010. Most major power corridors will have
more than two 750 kV lines. The ability of power exchange among
provinces will increase further.
3.4. The 1000 kV AC pilot and test project connecting the North
China Power Grid with the Central China Power Grid
On August 9 2006, the 1000 kV AC pilot project showed in Fig. 1
from Changzhi, Shanxi province via Nanyang, Henan province to
Jingmen, Hubei province was approved by China Development and
Reformation Committee. From then on, the initial research and
feasibility study was completed and the project went into imple-
mentation. The project initiated Chinas UHVDC transmission
system plan which will have a signicant inuence on the devel-
opment of Chinas power industry and the advancement of tech-
nologies for electric equipments.
According to the UHVDC transmission plan, the rated voltage of
the pilot project will be 1000 kV, and the highest permitting voltage
will be 1100 kV [9]. In addition, the project will include two
substations in Changzhi, Shanxi province and Jingmen, Hubei
province, respectively, and a switch station in Nanyang, Henan
province. The transmission line about 645 km in length will start
from the Jingdongnan 1000 kV substation in Changzhi, Shanxi
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4 Z. Xiaoxin et al. / Energy xxx (2009) 111
province to the Jingmen substation in Jingmeng, Hubei province, via
the Nanyang switch station in Nanyang, Henan province. The length
of the rst segment from the Jingdongnan substation to the Nanyang
switch station will be about 362 km, and the length of the second
segment from the Nanyang switch station to the Jingmen substation
will be about 283 km. At the rst stage of implementation, a single
circuit line will be constructed, and another single circuit line will be
added in the future. Of the three planned substations, the Jingdon-
gnan substation will be equipped with three 1000 MVA main
transformers, a set of 3  320 Mvar high voltage reactors and GIS
apparatus; the Nanyang switch station will be equipped with two
sets of 3  240 Mvar high voltage reactors and HGIS apparatus; the
Jingmen substation will be equipped with three 1000 MVA main
transformers, a set of 3  200 Mvar high voltage reactors, and HGIS
apparatus. The project will help to consolidate the interconnection
between the North China Power Gird and the Central China Power
Grid, and improve the ability to exchange power between the north
China and the south China allowing resources to be used more
efciently. According to the plan, the project will go into operation at
the end of 2008; by then the power exchange will be about 2000
3000 MW at the initial running stage.
After the pilot project depicted above, China will construct several
1000 kV ultra high voltage lines and build an ultra high voltage power
grid across the North China, the Central China and the East China.
4. HVDC transmission systems
HVDC power transmission technology is an effective supplement
of AC power transmission technology. HVDC technology can be
applied in long-distance and bulk power transmission, allowing the
interconnection of large regional AC power systems and power
transmission to islands through seabed cables. In Chinas power grid
plan, the HVDC technology will play a very important role. It will be
used to interconnect several large power grids for transmitting
hydroelectric and thermal power from northwest and southwest
China to more developed coastal regions in the southeast, and
transmit bulk power generated by the Three Gorges Hydro Plant to
Chinas other areas. At present, there are six 500 kV HVDC projects
in China, i.e., the 1200-MW GezhoubaNanqiao project, the
3000 MW Three Gorges-Changzhou project, the 3000 MW Three
GorgesGuangdong project, the 1800 MW TianshengqiaoGuang-
dong project, the 3000 MW GuizhouGuangdong project, and the
3000 MW Three GorgesShanghai project. Additionally, the second
3000 MW GuizhouGuangdong DC line will be put in operation in
2007, and the 800 kV YunnanGuangdong and other four ultra
HVDC projects are under construction or in the planning stage.
4.1. The 500 kV HVDC transmission in the Three Gorges
power system
The Three Gorges power transmission system is built for
transferring the bulk power from the Three Gorges Hydro Plant to
east China, central China and south China [1012]. Several HVDC
lines are included in the system. By now, 2965 km overhead DC
lines and six converter substations with a total capacity of
18,000 MW have been built. Several important HVDC projects will
be introduced as the following.
(1) Three GorgesChangzhou HVDC transmission
The project is the rst 500 kV, 3000 MW HVDC project in
China and also the second interconnection project between the
Central China Power Grid and the East China Power Grid (the rst is
the GezhoubaShanghai HVDC project). The project aims to
transfer power from the Three Gorges Hydro Plant to East China
Please cite this article in press as: Xiaoxin Z, et al., An overview of power transmission systems in China, Energy (2009), doi:10.1016/
j.energy.2009.04.016
and strengthen the asynchronous interconnection of the two
power grids. The length of the transmission line is 890 km, from the
Longquan converter station to the Zhengping converter station. In
2003, the project was put into operation.
(2) Three GorgesGuangzhou HVDC transmission
The project delivers power from the Three Gorges Hydropower
Plant in Central China to the load center located in the Guangdong
province, enhancing asynchronous link for the two power systems.
The 940 km long transmission line went into commercial operation
in 2004. One of the HVDC converter stations is located at Jingzhou
near the Three Gorges Power Plant, and the other in Huizhou near
Guangzhou.
(3) Three GorgesShanghai HVDC transmission
The project is the fourth largest HVDC transmission with rated
power of 3000 MW, and also the largest power transmission
project during the period of the 11th Five Year Plan of the State Grid
Corporation of China. One HVDC converter station is located at Yidu
(CaiJiaCong), approximately 58 km from the Three Gorges power
plant, and the other in Huaxin (BaiHe) at the west outskirt of
Shanghai. The receiving station will feed power directly into the
Shanghai 500 kV AC ring. In 2006, the 1060 km power link went
into commercial operation.
4.2. The 500 kV HVDC transmission in the Southern
China Power Grid
The HVDC transmission systems in the South China Power Grid
are an important part of the Power Transmission from West to
East project, within which several HVDC projects in operation are
as the following [10,11].
(1) TianshengqiaoGuangzhou HVDC transmission
The project is a part of the Power Transmission from West to
East project. It aims to transfer abundant hydropower from the
Tianshengqiao Hydroelectric Power Plant, Yunnan and Guizhou to
Guangzhou which is a big load center in South China. The DC voltage,
rated current, and rated power of the project are 500 kV, 1800 A,
and 1800 MW, respectively. The project includes two converter
substations. One is located in Mawo near the Tianshengqiao power
plant, and the other is located in the northern outskirts of Guangz-
hou. The length of the transmission line between the two converter
substations is 960 km. The project went into operation in 2001.
(2) GuizhouGuangdong HVDC transmission
The project aims to transmit abundant hydroelectric and
thermal power from southwest China to the load center in the delta
area of the Zhujiang River. The DC voltage, rated current, and rated
power of the project are 500 kV, 3000 A, and 3000 MW, respec-
tively. The project includes two converter substations. One of them
is located in Anshun in the Guizhou province, and the other is
located in Zhaoqing in the Guangdong province. The length of the
transmission line between the two converter substations is 880 km.
The project went into operation in 2004.
(3) The second GuizhouGuangdong HVDC transmission
This HVDC transmission is a backbone project of the Power
Transmission from West to East project. The DC voltage, rated
current, and rated power of the project are 500 kV, 3000 A, and
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Z. Xiaoxin et al. / Energy xxx (2009) 111
3000 MW, respectively. The project includes two converter
substations. One of them is located in Xingren in the Guizhou
province, and the other is located in Shenzhen in the Guangdong
province. The length of the transmission line between the two
converter substations is 1225 km. The project will go into operation
in 2007.
4.3. The 800 kV ultra high voltage DC transmission projects in
South China grid and the Jinsha River transmission system
The 800 kV or above DC transmission can be categorized as
ultra HVDC transmission, which can be used to transmit bulk power
over long distance from big hydroelectric power plants or thermal
power plants to load centers, as well as interconnect two asyn-
chronous power grids [13,14]. Now, 600 kV is the highest voltage
of all HVDC transmission lines in operation in the world.
At present, several ultra HVDC lines are under construction in
China:
(1) YunnanGuangdong 800 kV ultra HVDC transmission
This project will be the rst 800 kV 5000 MW ultra HVDC
transmission in the world. The 1446 km overhead DC line begins at
the Lufeng converter station in the Yunnan province and ends at the
Zengcheng converter station in the Guangdong province. This DC
line will have the largest transmission capacity in China, and it will
go into commercial operation in July 2010.
(2) Jinsha River 800 kV ultra HVDC transmission
The upstream of the Changjiang River from the Yushu in the
Qinghai province to Yibing in the Sichuan province is called the
Jinsha River. The river has a length of 2360 km and a fall of 3280 m
which brings abundant water energy resource. Several hydropower
plants will be built on the river. The Xiluodu and Xiangjiaba hydro
plants which have rated capacity of 18,600 GW, larger than the
Three Gorges Hydro Plant.
The XiangjiabaShanghai ultra HVDC transmission line is a part
of the Jinsha River transmission system. The DC voltage and the
rated capacity of the project are 800 kV and 6400 MW,
Fig. 2. Provincial and regional grids and inter-regional interconnections in China.
Please cite this article in press as: Xiaoxin Z, et al., An overview of power transmission systems in China, Energy (2009), doi:10.1016/
j.energy.2009.04.016
5
respectively. The 2034 km overhead DC line begins at the Fulong
converter station in the Sichuang province and ends at the Feng-
xian converter station in Shanghai. It is expected to go into
commercial operation in July 2012.
4.4. Future development
Most fossil and water energy resources are located in the west of
China; however, major load centers are located in the middle and
the east of China, making power transfer from the west to the east
very important to Chinas economic growth. Three transmission
corridors, i.e., the north, the middle, and the south corridors, will be
built. In these corridors, more than 20 HVDC lines will be built in
the next 1015 years.
5. Power grids and grid interconnections in China
5.1. Provincial and big regional power grids
After years of development, six inter-provincial regional power
grids, including the Northeast China Power Grid, the North China
Power Grid, the Central China Power Grid, the East China Power
Grid, and the Northwest China Power Grid as well as three inde-
pendent provincial grids, Xinjiang, Tibet, Hainan power grids have
been formed in the main land of China [1517]. All provincial and
regional grids are shown in Fig. 2.
More detailed information about Chinas large regional grids in
2005 is shown in Tables 1 and 2.
5.2. Interconnection of regional grids by AC or DC lines
The distribution of fossil and water resources in China is not
even. Most of these natural resources locate in the west China. For
example, 274 GW water energy resource or 72% of Chinas total
utilizable water energy resource and 388.2 billion ton coal or 39% of
Chinas coal reserve are in western China. However, most major
load centers of China are located in the east. Therefore, in order to
make resources to be used more efciently, China has made
a strategy of transferring power from the west to the east, and
creating a nationwide power grid interconnection [18].
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6 Z. Xiaoxin et al. / Energy xxx (2009) 111

Table 1
Information about six inter-provincial regional grids [1].

Regional grid Power supply region (province) Coverage areas (km2) Power supply population (million)
North China Beijing, Tianjin, Heibei, Shanxi, Shandong 1,630,000 230
Northeast China Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, and Chifeng, Tongliao in Neimeng 1,200,000 100
Central China Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan and Chongqing 1,300,000 380
East China Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui and Fujian 470,000 230
South China Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou and Hainan 1,000,000 220
Northwest China Shanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai and Xinjiang 3,100,000 94

The interconnection of Chinas regional grids started in the late
1980s [19,20]. By the end of 2005, China had mostly completed the
interconnection of large regional power grids and built an ultra
large-scale interconnected power grid across all provinces in the
main land China except Xinjing, Tibet, and Hainan. The installed
capacity of the interconnected power grid reached 400 GW. More
detailed information about the interconnections of Chinese large
regional grids in 2005 is in Table 3.
In the mean time, China had built three power transmission
corridors, i.e., the north, the center, and the south corridors, to
transmit power from the west to the east. The north corridor is
from the Northwest (including Xinjiang) China Power Grid to the
North (including Shandong province) China Power Grid. The
center corridor is from the Central China (including Chuanyu)
Power Grid to the East China (including Fujian) Power Grid. The
south corridor is inside the South China Power Grid. The north
corridor includes four sub-corridors, which are Dafang Shenbao
Houlian corridor, Shachangshuang corridor, Fengwanxian
corridor, and Tuoyan-Ba-An corridor. In the summer of 2005, the
general power ow of the four sub-corridors reached
10,700 MW. The center corridor includes a 1200 MW DC line
from Gezhou Dam to Shanghai and a 3000 MW Longzhen DC line
from the Three Gorges to Changzhou, Jiangsu province. The
south corridor includes nine lines (six AC lines and three DC
lines), i.e., four 500 kV AC lines from Tianshenqiao to Guangdong
province, two 500 kV AC lines from Guizhou province to
Guangdong province, a 500 kV DC line from Tianshengqiao to
Guangdong, a 500 kV DC line from Guizhou to Guangdong,
a 500 kV DC line from the Three Gorges to Guangdong. In 2005,
the capacity from several southwestern provinces to Guangdong
province was 10,880 MW. In the future, China will continue to
improve the interconnection of the regional grids. Initiatives
include the construction of two 1000 kV power transmission
corridors from northern China to southern China and from
western China to eastern China, and a back-to-back DC project
interconnecting the Northeast China Power Grid and the North
China Power Grid and so on.
6. Major stability problems of long distance and large
capacity high voltage AC/DC transmission systems and
interconnected power systems
In recent years, as long distance hybrid AC/DC power trans-
mission systems and nationwide interconnected power system are
developed, the stability of power systems has become more
important in China. Now, the most challenging issues of Chinas
power grid include transient stability of interconnected power
systems, low frequency oscillation, voltage stability, and short-
circuit current level control.
6.1. Transient stability
Transient instability, which is triggered by large disturbances, is
still one of the main stability issues of power systems. In recent
years, with the increase of long distance AC/DC transmission lines
with large transmission capacity and the emergence of the
nationwide interconnected power system, new transient stability
issues have arisen in Chinas power systems.
Major transient stability issues of Chinas power gird are as
follows.
(1) A few 500 kV AC lines are used to interconnect large regional
power grids, so the interconnections between these large
power grids are very weak. As a result, the stability levels of
some transmission corridors within the large regional power
grids have declined after interconnection.
(2) There are many irrational structures within some power grids.
Electromagnetic loop networks still exist in the 500 kV and
220 kV power grids, signicantly reducing transmission
capacity.
(3) There are stability problems in the hybrid AC/DC power grids.
The South China Power Grid is just a hybrid AC/DC power grid.
If two poles of a DC line are blocked and AC lines in parallel
with the DC line are then overloaded, large-scale power
transfer may cause power system to lose synchronization.
China has paid much attention to the stability of power systems.
The standard for Security and Stability of Power Systems was
passed at the Dalian Power System Sability Meeting in 1981, and
amended in 2001. The standard requests that three defense lines for
security protection of power grids must be built. Currently, since
Chinas ultra high voltage power grid is still relatively weak,
rational arrangement of relay and automatic security devices are
top priorities set by each large regional grid. Additionally, generator
and load tripping are widely adopted to ensure safe operations of
the power systems. With these efforts, Chinas power system will
be kept stable even if a very serious disturbance takes place.

Table 2
Information about six inter-provincial regional grids [2].

Regional grid Installed capacity Thermal power Hydraulic power Pumps water stored Nuclear power Wind power
(MW) (%) (MW) (%) (MW) (%) energy (MW) (%) (MW) (%) (MW) (%)
North China 107,494 (100%) 104,197 (96.9%) 3021 (2.8%) 192 (0.2%)
Northeast China 43,840 (100%) 37,726 (86.1%) 5779 (13.2%)
Central China 107,290 (100%) 59,663 (55.6%) 47,627 (44.4%)
East China 123,590 (100%) 104,050 (84.2%) 14,010 (11.3%) 2060 (1.7%) 3066 (2.5%) 110 (0.1%)
South China 90,832 (100%) 56,039 (61.7%) 28,521 (31.4%) 2400 (2.6%) 3780 (4.2%) 92 (0.1%)
Northwest China 39,404 (100%) 26,525 (67.3%) 12,525 (31.8%) 354.2 (0.9%)

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Z. Xiaoxin et al. / Energy xxx (2009) 111
Table 3
Interconnections of Chinese big regional grids (2005).
Interconnection AC lines
Northeast China power gridNorth China Power Grid Double circuit lines from Gaoling to Jiangjiayin
North Power GridCentral China Power Grid Single circuit line from Xinan to Huojia
Central China Power GridEast China Power Grid
Central China Power GridSouth China Power Grid
Central China Power GridNorthwest China Power Grid
6.2. Voltage stability
Maintaining node voltages at predetermined levels will ensure
not only the quality of the power supply, but also the stability of the
powder system operations. A device failure caused by abnormal
voltage, voltage instability, and voltage collapse can trigger power
system blackouts. For example, the nationwide blackout in France
in December 1978, the Quebec Power System blackout in Canada in
December 1982, the blackout in Sweden in November 1983, and the
blackout in Tokyo Power System in July 1987. To avoid the blackout
caused by voltage collapse has become a very important issue in
system design and operation. In China, because of the rapid
development of modern power systems, some receiving power
systems with highly dense loads have emerged, such as Guangdong
Power Grid in southern China, Shanghai Power Grid in eastern
China, BeijingTianjinTangshan Power Grid in northern China.
Hierarchical and multi-area control is used to control voltage
and reactive power. In general, voltage control can be categorized
into three levels. The rst level is located at power plants or
customer sides, with functions, such as regulation of reactive power
of generators and output of SVCs, and fast switch of capacitances
and reactors. These controls usually take seconds to respond at this
level. The second level is usually located at pivotal sites, and the
response time is typically several minutes. This type of control is
used to coordinate primary control on the spot, for example,
adjusting the voltage regulation set points of generators and SVCs,
and switching capacitances and reactors and set reference voltages
of buses. The third level is preventive control, and its response time
spans tens of minutes. The objectives of this type of control include
identifying potential voltage instability in order to take necessary
measures, coordinating the second level control systems, and
optimizing voltage and reactive power. Additionally, the static
voltage stability analysis is also considered in the third level of
control. Several dispatching bureaus in China, such as the North
China Power Grid Control Center, Jiangsu Power Grid Control
Center, Fujian Power Grid Control Center, have installed automatic
voltage control software (AVC).
6.3. Low frequency oscillation
A low frequency oscillation is caused by negative damping tor-
ques that typically take place in power systems with generators
connected with main power grids using long distance lines.
Currently, weak or even negative damping torques exist in Chinas
major interconnected power grids, and low frequency oscillation
took place in many power grids, such as the South China Power
Grid in 1994, Ertan Power Transmission System in 1998 and 2000,
GuangdongHongkong Interconnected Power Grid in 2003. In the
future, more large capacity generators and fast exciters will be put
in use in major interconnected power grids. As a result, a weak
damping will happen and possibly escalate.
As showed in Fig. 3, there is an inter-area oscillation after the
interconnection between the North China Power Gird and the
Central China Power Grid, and the oscillation frequency is 0.13 Hz.
Please cite this article in press as: Xiaoxin Z, et al., An overview of power transmission systems in China, Energy (2009), doi:10.1016/
j.energy.2009.04.016
7
DC lines
GezhoubaNanqiao; LongquanZhengpin
JianglinECheng
ZidongLingbaoLuofu back to back
The eigenvalue of the oscillation is 0.007893  j0.816952 and the
damping ratio is 0.0097.
The power system stabilizer (PSS) can be applied to enhance
system damping and suppress low or ultra low frequency oscilla-
tion. In recent years, the State Grid Corporation of China has made
many efforts to study how to use PSS to maintain the dynamic
stability of interconnected power systems. As a result, many PSSs
have been installed in power grids, and the dynamic stability level
has been greatly improved.
6.4. High short circuit current level
With rapid load increase and the interconnection of large
regional power grids, short-circuit current level increased over the
years. In recent years, very high short-circuit current level has
become a major issue that must be addressed in the stage of
planning and operation of power systems. For example, the short-
circuit current of pivotal stations in the delta area of the Yangzi
River in the East China Power Grid approached or even exceeded
the switching capacity of breakers. In 2010, the short-circuit
current of the Doushan, Huangdu, Wunan, Wangdian, Lanting
substations will exceed switching capacities of their breakers, and
the short-circuit current of Wunan and Wangdian substations will
even exceed 63 kA. High short-circuit current has become one of
the most serious issues of the East China Power Grid [22].
Short-circuit current level is directly related to the structure,
density, and intensity of the power grid, as well as commitment
mode of generators in the power systems. To control the level of
short-circuit current, the structure of power sources and power
grids must be taken into account to achieve optimization.
6.5. Improving thermal stability limit of transmission lines
With the rapid economic growth, the demand for electricity has
increased dramatically in recent years, especially in the south
Jiangsu Province, Shanghai and Zhejiang provinces. In these areas,
the power transmission capabilities of some transmission lines are
seriously limited by lack of thermal stability. For example, after the
completion of the DC line from the Three Gorges to Changzhou, the
required power transmission capabilities of the 500 kV line from
Wunan to Doushan and the double circuit lines from Doushan to
Shipai have already exceeded the capacity limited by the levels of
thermal stability. As a result, it is urgent for the East China Power
Grid to enhance the transmission capability of 500 kV transmission
lines. Currently, there are a set of new rules and techniques to be
adopted by the East China Grid Company Limited to enhance the
transmission capability of 500 kV transmission lines [23].
(1) At the end of 2005, the East China Grid Company Limited
increased the highest operation temperature of 500 kV trans-
mission lines from 70  C to 80  C; consequently, the trans-
mission capability of parts of these 500 kV transmission lines
increased from 1900 MW to 2700 MW.
(2) Using a short-time overloading capability of 500 kV transformers
to increase transmission capability. With this method, the short-
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8 Z. Xiaoxin et al. / Energy xxx (2009) 111
Fig. 3. Inter-area oscillation mode (0.007893  j0.816952) between North China, Northeast China and Central China.
time overloading capabilities of most 500 kV major transformers
have increased 1.31.5 times, and transmission capabilities of
most 500 kV major transformers increased by 715%.
(3) Use real-time monitoring of current, transmission line
temperature, external temperature, wind direction and
velocity, and illumination density.
7. Technology of improving transmission line capacity and
AC/DC transmission system stability level
Chinas electric load is expected to be increasing steadily and
rapidly for a long period. How to improve transmission capacity and
AC/DC system stability is becoming one of the major issues [2427].
Addressing this issue requires the adoption of new technologies,
including compact power transmission technology, series/parallel
compensation technology, FACTS technology, such as SVC and TCSC,
and high voltage controlled shunt reactor (CSR), etc. In addition to
enhancing transmission capacity, these technologies offer ways to
improve transient and dynamic stability of power grids, and miti-
gation of power frequency over voltage. Currently, these technolo-
gies have already been applied in Chinas power grids.
7.1. Compact transmission line
Compact transmission technology adopts an optimized cong-
uration of conductors to improve the surge impedance loading (SIL)
of the line, reduce transmission corridor width, and enhance
transmission capacity per unit corridor. When compared with the
conventional transmission line, the compact transmission line
features better symmetry of phase parameters, smaller positive
sequence reactance, higher SIL and smaller corridor width, while
Please cite this article in press as: Xiaoxin Z, et al., An overview of power transmission systems in China, Energy (2009), doi:10.1016/
j.energy.2009.04.016
maintaining equivalent insulation strength and electric eld
intensity on conductor surface to ensure a safe condition for live-
line work. Currently, the compact transmission technology has
been applied in China, and quite a few compact transmission lines
have been put into operation.
In September 1994, Chinas rst 220 kV compact transmission
line, the AndingLangfang 220 kV line was put to use. This
23.950 km line starts at the Anding substation in Beijing and ends
at the Datun substation in Langfang, Hebei province. The three
bundles are arranged in two ways, vertical and inverted triangle.
Each phase conductor is composed of four lines, occupying a space
of only 1/3rd that of the traditional transmission lines whilst with
1.7 times of SIL. Chinas rst 330 kV compact transmission line was
built in October 2004. It is 115 km long, at the altitude of 1500
2000 m, stretching from the 330 kV Chengxian substation at south
side to the Tianshui substation at north side. The adoption of
compact transmission technology reduced the line corridor
considerably from 1322 m to 5.2 m, improved electromagnetic
environment, enhanced SIL and system stability, and saved the
engineering cost per unit transmission capacity. The Fangshan
Changping 500 kV line is Chinas rst 500 kV compact transmission
line which began operation in November 1999. The line extends
83 km, with 6-split sub-conductor. Phase conductors are arranged
in the inverted-delta mode, with phase spacing of 6.7 m and
conductor-to-ground distance of 10 m, reducing the transmission
corridor to 17.9 m. The SIL of the transmission line is 1340 MW, 34%
more than general transmission line.
Besides the above-mentioned lines, other compact transmission
lines have also been built, including the ZhengpingYixin 500 kV
double circuit compact transmission for the Three Gorges project.
Many other projects are currently under construction.
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Z. Xiaoxin et al. / Energy xxx (2009) 111
7.2. Parallel and series compensation
The capacity of a long-distance AC transmission line is generally
restricted by its transient stability limit. The introduction of parallel
or series compensation capacitor to a transmission line can alle-
viate such constraints by decreasing the electric distance of the line
and improving system stability limit and transmission capacity.
These benets coupled with price advantage, parallel and series
compensation equipments have been widely applied in long-
distance bulk transmission systems. Currently, a number of series
compensation equipments have been installed in China, including
the Sanbao SC project in Jiangsu province for the Yangcheng Power
Plant, the Weixian SC Project at the Datong-Fangshan double circuit
transmission line in the North China Power Grid, the Wanquan SC
project at the FengzhengWanquanShunyi double circuit trans-
mission line, the Pingguo SC project at the Tianshengqiao
Guangzhou double circuit transmission line in the South China
Power Grid and the Hechi SC at the HuishuiHechi double circuit
transmission line. More series compensation equipments are
expected to be installed in the transmission lines in the future.
The under-constructed Hunyuan SC project will deliver eight
sets of SC equipments at four incoming and four outgoing lines of
the Hunyuan 500 kV switch station, with total capacity of
3663 Mvar. It is the largest project in the world in terms of the
amount of engineering work, the quantity of SC equipments and
the magnitude of compensation capacity. Tuo-Yuan-Ba-An is an
important channel for west-to-east power transmission. With the
operation of the fourth-phase Tuoketuo power plant, a power of
8  600 MW can be generated, with 1100 MW delivered by each
Tuoyuan line, 1100 MW by each Yuanan line, and 1050 MW by each
Bayuan line. After the construction of these eight sets the SC
equipments at four Tuoyuan lines, two Yuanan lines, and two
Yuanba lines, the generated power of the fourth-phase Tuoketuo
plant can be delivered outward and the security and stability level
of the North China Power Grid can be greatly improved.
7.3. SVC, TCSC, and other FACTS equipments
For AC or AC and DC parallel long distance bulk transmission
corridors, the power grids dynamic reactive power supporting
capability under major fault disturbance not only restricts the
transmission capacity of the interconnected network but also impacts
the voltage stability level and safety margin of the interconnected
systems. Using the dynamic reactive compensation, it is possible to
regulate the reactive power rapidly in response to the system needs
and maintain the bus voltage around rated value. SVC has been widely
utilized as a dynamic reactive compensation technology.
The application of SVC in the power grid can quickly change the
reactive power generation, providing dynamic reactive power
supply for power systems, and regulating system voltage. In 2006,
three SVC equipments with a total capacity of 420 Mvar were put
into operation at the east corridor of Chuanyu Power Grid, with one
120 MVar SVC installed at the Chenjiaqiao 500 kV substation,
one 120 Mvar SVC installed at the Honggou 500 kV substation,
and one 180 Mvar SVC at the Wanxian 500 kV substation. The
transmission capability of Chuanyu network interface was
improved by 300 MW and damping ratio of oscillation increased as
well. As a result, the systems transient and dynamic stability was
considerably improved. Additionally, the corridors fourth set of
SVC, 500 kV Yongchuan substation SVC, rated at 120 Mvar, is
currently under construction. At present, China has completed the
localization of a large capacity SVC for 500 kV transmission systems
that costs around RMB 300 Yuan/kvar.
The thyristor controlled series compensation technology (TCSC)
is a new FACTS technology developed in recent years. In addition to
Please cite this article in press as: Xiaoxin Z, et al., An overview of power transmission systems in China, Energy (2009), doi:10.1016/
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9
the technical advantages over the traditional series compensation,
TCSC features a rapid controllability to further improve system
stability and transmission capacity, damp low frequency oscillation,
eliminate SSR, and optimize system operation mode. This makes
TCSC a highly effective means of improving the capacity of trans-
mission corridors.
Chinas rst TCSC the Tianping TCSC was built in July 2003 in
the South China Power Grid. The Tian Guan line is a parallel double
circuit line, with a total length of 940 km, within which the Tian-
shegnqiao-Pingguo section is 313 km long. The Pingguo TCSC
equipment was installed at the Pingguo side of the rst and second
500 kV Tinaping transmission line, adopting FSC TCSC compen-
sation mode. The compensation degree of each line is 40% and the
total compensation capacity is 400 Mvar, with a xed compensa-
tion degree of 35% and a controlled compensation degree of 5%. The
Tianping TCSC can increase the west-to-east power transmission of
the South China Power Grid by 220 MW, while the actual boost
reached 400500 MW. Statistics show that for the year 2004 and
2005, the annul availability of the Pingguo TCSC was 98.4% and
99.72%, respectively, and the increased power delivery achieved
3.45 billion kilowatt hour and 3.21 billion kilowatt hour.
The Yi-feng 500 kV TCSC has the biggest capacity, most complex
control system, and the most adverse operation environment in the
world. It is located at the Fengtun substation side of the 500 kV AC
double-circuit line from the Yiming Power Plant to the Fengtun
substation in the Northeast China Power Grid. The operation mode
is FSC TCSC. Each line is compensated by a total degree of 45%,
with xed compensation degree of 30% and controlled compen-
sation degree of 15%, rated at 1088 Mvar and 625 Mvar, respec-
tively. The existing installation capacity of the Yimin Power plant is
2  500 MW, and two 600 MW units will be put into operation in
September 2007. Yi-Feng TCSC makes it possible to improve the
transmission capacity of the Yi-feng transmission lines, meeting
the needs of power outward delivery, increasing the damping of
low frequency oscillation, and effectively eliminating SSR risk. This
project is currently under construction.
7.4. High voltage CSR
CSR resolves the conict between over voltage limitation and
reactive power compensation. The installation of CSR at a long
distance extra high-voltage line can not only exibly adjust the
system reactive power according to different operating modes and
ensure the voltage safety of transmission line at various times; but
also reduce network losses, improve network dynamic stability in
certain degree, and increase transmission capacity.
CSR can be categorized into two types based upon the magnetic
control principle and high impedance transformer principle,
respectively. Currently, two sets of CSR have been applied in China.
As the rst 500 kV CSR with high impedance transformer
principle, Xinzhou 500 kV CSR in Shanxi was put into operation on
September 19, 2006. The CSR installed at the bus bar of the Xinzhou
is rated at 150 Mvar.
The Jingzhou CSR project employed a 500 kV magnetic
controlled CSR for the rst time in China. The reactor located at the
Jianglin side of the Three Gorges right bank to the Jianglin line (the
130 km Three Gorges right bank to the Jianglin single circuit line is
part of the Three Gorges transmission and substation project) has
a designed capacity of 3  40 Mvar. Two sets of 100 Mvar reactors,
one xed and one controlled will be installed at the right bank of
the Three Gorges and the Jianglin side, respectively. The magnetic
controlled reactor enables the effective regulation of system voltage
by rapidly and continuously adjusting reactance and capacity.
Furthermore, in case of emergency this CSR can offer forced
compensation to mitigate the power frequency over voltage. CSR in
 ARTICLE IN PRESS
10 Z. Xiaoxin et al. / Energy xxx (2009) 111
conjunction with neutral reactor can restrain secondary arc current
and decrease recovery voltage to ensure the success rate of single-
phase re-closure in order to improve the reliability of transmission
system. This project is currently under construction.
7.5. High speed protection and special control systems
Based on the design principal of Three Defense Lines,
advanced automation systems, relay protection devices, and special
protection system have ensured the security of Chinas power grid
under the condition of relatively weak grid structure.
At present, these high-speed protections have showed good
performance in reliability and fast response. From the perspective
of reliability, in 2004, the ratio of correct protection in 220 kV or
above lines and transformers is 99.21%; the ratio of fast response is
99.33%, and 96.04% protection devices are micro-computer based
protections. From the perspective of fast response, the fault clearing
time of relay protection used in 220 kV or above lines is about 30
50 ms. In addition, new technologies of ultra high-speed protection
devices are being adopted in order to meet the need of EHVAC and
UHVAC power grids.
In addition to high-speed protection systems, inter-regional
security and stability control systems, lighting strike spot location
systems, wide area measurement systems, and fault location
systems for transmission lines are widely used in Chinas power
grids. These systems have ensured the security and stability of
Chinas power system, and lower the risk of large-area blackouts. In
the future, China will conduct research on security protection
systems with abilities of self-adaptability, inter-regional coordina-
tion and forecast, real-time dynamic security assessment tech-
nology, real-time data platform combining functions of SCADS/EMS
and WAMS, new EMS with abilities of real time monitoring,
dynamic security assessment and pre-warning, auxiliary decision
making, automatic voltage control systems, etc.
8. Technologies of stabilizing interconnected
power grid operation
At the initial stage of interconnecting large regional power grids,
many stability issues will occur because of weak interconnection,
such as inter-regional or inner-regional low frequency oscillation,
decrease of transient stability limit of some corridors within
regional power grids, and voltage instability of receiving power
systems. Additionally, because AC and DC hybrid interconnection is
used, the inter-action between AC and DC systems may also affect
the stability level of power systems. To address these issues, a series
of researches have been conducted. Several methods are being used
to address the stability issues, including installation of many PSSs
and WAMS, adoption of HVDC control, etc.
8.1. PSS installations
Research indicates that installing PSSs [21] is the best way to
restrain low frequency oscillation.
At the initial stage of interconnecting Chinas large regional
power grids, the interconnections all include only several 500 kV
AC lines. In the process of building interconnections, weak or even
negative inter-regional damping was found. For instance, the
power system analysis indicated that after the AC interconnection
between the North China Power Grid and the Northeast China
Power Grid, there are not only several local mode oscillations, but
also an inter-area mode oscillation with an oscillation frequency of
0.3043 Hz and damping ratio of 0.0994. The calculation of
interconnection between the Chuanyu Power Grid and the Central
China Power Gird indicated that there are two negative damping
Please cite this article in press as: Xiaoxin Z, et al., An overview of power transmission systems in China, Energy (2009), doi:10.1016/
j.energy.2009.04.016
oscillation modes and ve weak damping oscillation modes after
the interconnection. To address these low frequency oscillation
issues, Chinese researchers have conducted research and found
that to restrain the weak or negative damping inter-area mode
oscillation between a group of generators and another group of
generators, a great number of PSSs as opposed to only a few are
required to be installed. Currently, there are more than 200 PSSs
installed in the Northeast China Power Grid, the North China
Power Grid, and the Central China Power Grid. The conguration
of these PSSs is to ensure that the lag of excitation system
response at low frequency can be compensated in the range of
0.12 Hz.
8.2. PMU applications for monitoring and control purposes
The phase measurement technology was introduced to China
in the early 1990s. CEPRI established two sets of dynamic moni-
toring and recording systems with the WAMS functions in the East
China Power Grid and the South China Power Grid, respectively.
The system can be used to monitor the power-angle stabilization
and record complex disturbance process. In 2002, Beijing Sifang
Automation Co. Ltd. and Tsinghua University cooperatively
launched their rst generation WAMS product named CSS-2000.
At the end of 2002, CSS-200 was put into use in the Jiangsu Power
Grid. After 2003, the State Grid Control Center, the North China
Power Grid, the Northeast China Power Grid, and the South China
Power Grid established their own WAMSs independently, and
each system adopted CSS-200. In 2004, the program of Wide Area
Measurement Analysis Protection (WAMAP) of which WAMS is
a part of adopted PAC-2000 PMUs by CEPRI and SMU-1 PMUs by
NARIs Corporation [28-30]. In 2004, the Henan Power Grid
Control Center and Hehai University cooperatively completed the
development of a WAMS and the system is deployed in Henan
Power Grid. In the future, large scale WAMSs will be deployed in
the Three Gorges Power Grid, the East China Power Grid, the
Northeast China Power Grid, and the South China Power Grid.
Table 4 illustrates WAMSs which were put into operation from
2002 to 2004 in China [30].
8.3. HVDC control
The HVDC transmission is gradually becoming the most
important way of transmitting large amount of power from the
remote hydropower stations. The stability of an AC/DC system is
relative to the short circuit ratio (SCR) of the connected AC systems
and the control strategy. AC/DC coordinated control can improve
the transient and voltage stability of the AC power systems at both
sending and receiving end.
Table 4
WAMS put into operation in 20022004 in China.
WAMS main station Number of PMU Number of PMU
in substations in power plants
State grid control center 6 2
South Power Grid control center 5 0
North China Power Grid control center 3 3
Northeast China Power Grid control center 10 2
East China Power Grid control center 8 7
Jiangsu Power Grid control center 6 8
Guangdong Power Grid control center 5 2
Total 43 24
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(1) The stability of AC power systems with DC multi-infeed [31,32]
When several DC transmission lines feed power into a system
and the electrical distance of the HVDC converter stations is short,
the system is called DC multi-infeed power system. At present,
there are two and three DC transmission lines feeding power into
the East China Power Grid and Guangdong Power Grid in the South
China Power Grid, respectively, and there will be more DC trans-
mission lines including several ultra HVDC transmission lines
feeding power into these load centers in 2020.
In a DC multi-infeed power system, if a fault happens in the AC
system and is not cleared immediately, several DC converters might
be blocked simultaneously. As a result, the large power ow
transfer may induce transient and/or voltage instability of the AC
power systems. Under the circumstances, many factors will
contribute to the stability of the power system, which include the
effective SCRs of these DC converter substations, dynamic reactive
reserve, the synchronous ability of the parallel AC lines, loads, and
the control strategy of the AC and DC transmission systems.
(2) Damping control [33]
The DC control system has additional fast power modulation
function which can damp low frequency oscillation between two
AC power systems or control frequency. For example, in the Tian-
Guang hybrid AC/DC power system, a power modulation method
which changes transmitted power based on the difference between
AC bus frequency of the two DC converter substations is used to
improve the dynamic stability of the power system. The simulation
results show that the method can obviously reduce the amplitude
of the rst power angle swing.
(3) Voltage control
There are large capacity reactive compensating devices in DC
converter substations. With proper control strategies, the voltage
stability of the AC power systems connected with the DC substa-
tions can be improved by controlling the voltage of the AC bus in
the DC converter substations.
9. Conclusion
This paper provides a brief but comprehensive introduction on
Chinas power transmission systems and grids, including the
development course of Chinas power industry and AC and DC
transmission systems, voltage level series, inter-provincial regional
grids and their interconnections, some issues faced by Chinas
power grids, and technologies adopted for improving the perfor-
mance of the power systems.
In the course of development in the past 50 years, Chinas
power transmission system and grid have become stronger. At
present, Chinas power grid is one of the biggest interconnected
power grids in the world and also will be the new 1000 kV UHVAC
and 800 kV UHVDC transmission systems. There will be many
things to be done in the future. For instance, with regard to the
huge transfer capacity, the structure of Chinese power grid is still
relatively weak as a whole, and many potential security issues still
exist. Additionally, the transmission capability of a single circuit is
to be increased. In order to address these existing issues and meet
the requisites of rapid increase in power demand, the develop-
ment of Chinas power transmission system and grid still needs to
further accelerate. The interconnection of the regional power
grids must be strengthened and new technologies must be
adopted to increase the transmission capability of the power
system.
Please cite this article in press as: Xiaoxin Z, et al., An overview of power transmission systems in China, Energy (2009), doi:10.1016/
j.energy.2009.04.016
11
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