The Kusha 500 kilovolts power transmission and transformation project and the Gushan Ridge-Qianli Mountain 500kV line project have recently started operating in Ordos.

The transformer substation. [Photo/WeChat account of Nuan News]

The Kusha project, the largest 500kV intelligent transformer substation in Inner Mongolia, recently built four units of 1,200 MVA transformers. The 500kV outgoing lines are connected to the Gushan Ridge-Qianli Mountain double-circuit 500kV lines, with a total line length of 8.11 kilometers. Total investment in the project amounts to 778 million yuan ($108.31 million).

The transformer substation. [Photo/WeChat account of Nuan News]

The Gushan Ridge-Qianli Mountain project serves as the pilot project for the Kusha project, with a total route length of 251.9 km and a total investment of 1.12 billion yuan. It will facilitate the integration of new energy power from the northern part of the Kubuqi Desert in Hanggin Banner into the Kusha 500kV transformer substation, establishing a stable transmission corridor.

The transformer substation. [Photo/WeChat account of Nuan News]

The two projects are critical components of the "Four Horizontals and Six Verticals" 500kV backbone grid of western Inner Mongolia, as well as a significant part of the backbone grid within the Yellow River's Jiziwan area. These projects officially connect the Kubuqi Desert's gigawatt-scale new energy "blue sea" with the main grid.

Building a "highway" for facilitating the efficient transmission of new energy from the Kubuqi Desert, the two projects help nearby new energy project connect and transmit power, thereby enhancing the region's new energy consumption and increasing the proportion of clean energy in the local power mix. 

Moreover, they inject new momentum into the construction of national-level "desert and barren land" large-scale new energy bases, helping promote the green transition of China's energy structure and the establishment of a new-type power system.