The 2,000 kilometer high-capacity line will run from western China to the industrial east of the country. It will have a capacity of 6,400MW and carry enough electricity for the needs of 31 million people. The link from the Xiangjiaba hydro power project to Shanghai is expected to come online in 2011.
ABB said that the ultrahigh-voltage direct current (UHVDC) link will consist of two substations and a power transmission system to transmit electricity at 800kV to minimize the loss of power.
The company claims that UHVDC technology is particularly suitable for vast countries like China, where power sources are often far away from the areas that require power. The transmission losses using this system would be less than 7%, according to the company.
