# China plans 15 new ultra-high-voltage lines to 2030 as power demand passes 10,000TWh
> The UHV programme aims to lift cross-provincial transfer capacity ~35% and move renewable power east, even as curtailment persists in the resource-rich west

**Meta:** type: story · date: 2026-01-14 · heads: اللعبة الطويلة, أموال من · 5 takes · 3 lenses · 3 regions

## Summary

[China](/ar/entity/china-grid) surpassed 10,000TWh of annual [Electricity](/ar/entity/electricity) consumption in 2025, with
demand projected to grow 8-9% a year through 2030. To move power from
[renewable](/ar/entity/renewables)-rich western and northern provinces to eastern load centres, Beijing
plans to commission 15 new ultra-high-voltage (UHV) transmission lines between 2026 and 2030,
raising cross-provincial transfer capacity by about 35% and enabling roughly 200GWh/year of
additional renewable connection. Renewables were ~59% of installed capacity by mid-2025 but a
smaller share of actual generation (~38% low-carbon in 2024) because coal still runs more
hours and regional [curtailment](/ar/n/renewables-curtailment-record-2026) persists where the grid
cannot absorb wind and solar.

## By the numbers

- 10,000+ TWh, China's 2025 electricity consumption (a global first).
- 8-9%, projected annual demand growth to 2030.
- 15, new UHV lines planned, 2026-2030.
- ~35%, targeted increase in cross-provincial transfer capacity.
- ~59% / ~38%, renewables' share of capacity vs actual low-carbon generation.

## Why it matters

China's curtailment gap, clean capacity built faster than the grid can carry it, is the
core problem UHV is meant to solve. Whether transmission keeps pace decides how much of the
world's largest renewable fleet actually displaces coal, with global emissions implications.

## What to watch

- Which UHV corridors break ground first and their commissioning dates.
- 2026 curtailment rates in Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and Qinghai.
- Whether coal capacity additions slow as transfer capacity rises.

## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens)

### energy-data analyst
- **Enerdata** (France, en) — Reports China's plan to commission 15 new ultra-high-voltage lines between 2026 and 2030, lifting cross-provincial transfer capacity ~35% and enabling ~200GWh/year of renewables to reach load centres.
  > "China plans 15 new ultra-high-voltage transmission lines by 2030, boosting cross-provincial capacity ~35%."
  Source: https://www.enerdata.net/publications/daily-energy-news/china-plans-15-new-ultra-high-voltage-transmission-lines-2030.html

### Chinese state media
- **China Daily** (China, en) — State-media framing centred on grid modernisation and foreign partners (Hitachi Energy), presenting UHV expansion as the backbone of the energy transition and downplaying curtailment.
  > "Ultra-high-voltage transmission enabled electricity to move seamlessly from renewable-rich regions to industrial centres."
  Source: https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202601/14/WS6966fc1ca310d6866eb33a41.html

### unlabelled
- **CKGSB Knowledge** (China, en) — 
  Source: https://english.ckgsb.edu.cn/knowledge/article/china-power-grid-challenges/
- **Wikipedia (Renewable energy in China)** (Global, en) — 
  Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy_in_China
- **China Daily HK** (China, en) — 
  Source: https://www.chinadailyhk.com/hk/article/627049

## Across the graph
- Related: [[renewables-curtailment-record-2026]], [[china-battery-storage-surge-2026]], [[hvdc-transmission-buildout-2026]], [[india-grid-record-peak-2026]]
- Entities: China Grid, China, Electricity, Renewables

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