At 12:31 on July 14, Hunan's electricity load climbed to a record high of 48.09 million kilowatts, up 1.45 million kW from the previous record. Six cities—Changsha, Shaoyang, Yueyang, Yiyang, Loudi, and Huaihua—all hit record highs. Various departments in Hunan have coordinated efforts to ensure electricity supply, proactively preparing for the summer peak demand period. The province has an adequate power supply, and its power grid is operating safely and smoothly.

On the supply side, Units 1 and 2 of the Yanmenkou Power Plant in Shimen County, Changde City, were put into operation; the Wuling Power Daguping Phase II 100 MW wind power project in Shuangpai County, Yongzhou City, achieved full-capacity grid connection, adding new power sources for the province's summer peak load. Currently, all thermal power enterprises have intensified thermal coal transportation and unit maintenance. The province's 44 thermal power units are operating normally, with thermal coal inventory reaching 6.13 million tonnes, securing sufficient "fuel" for stable full-load operation.

State Grid Hunan Electric Power Company Limited, in collaboration with water resources and meteorological departments, has systematically carried out flood tailwater retention to maximize water energy utilization efficiency. The province's key reservoirs have an energy storage capacity of 2.788 billion kilowatt-hours. Among them, the three major backbone reservoirs—Zhexi, Fengtan, and Dongjiang—serve as key supports. These three reservoirs have a combined storage capacity of 14.884 billion cubic meters and are equipped with a total of 22 generating units, with a total installed capacity of 2.4475 million kilowatts. Since the beginning of this year, the cumulative inflow to these three major reservoirs has been 32.198 billion cubic meters, with a current adjustable water volume of 6.7435 billion cubic meters, equivalent to an energy storage capacity of approximately 1.494 billion kilowatt-hours. This strongly supports the safe and stable operation of the power grid.

On the power grid side, twelve key projects for peak summer demand were put into operation before June 30, adding over 11.14 million kilovolt-amperes of new substation capacity and more than 204 kilometers of transmission lines. Of these , the first 1,000-kilovolt substation in Hunan, the Xiaoxiang Substation, expanded its main transformer, adding three million kilovolt-amperes of substation capacity, further enhancing the provincial grid's power supply capability. State Grid Hunan Electric Power Company Limited will continue to closely monitor weather and load changes, optimize grid operation modes, and ensure reliable electricity supply across the province during the peak summer season. 

New energy sources performed particularly well during the peak load period. According to a spokesperson for the Hunan Provincial Development and Reform Commission, at the peak time that day, thermal power output stood at 15.68 million kilowatts, hydropower at 7.37 million kilowatts, electricity from other regions at 7.57 million kilowatts, wind power at 180,000 kilowatts, solar power at 17.49 million kilowatts, and energy storage at 200,000 kilowatts. Solar power surpassed thermal power to become the main source of power during the day's peak, fully demonstrating the green transformation of Hunan's energy structure.

This article is from Hunan Provincial Government. www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Xiao Juan

Chinese source: hunan.gov.cn