Shanxi Province is accelerating the development of a modern energy system as part of China’s efforts to meet its dual carbon goals. In recent years, the province has charted a path of multi-energy integration and coordinated development, balancing energy security with a green, low-carbon transition.
Source: People’s Daily Online
Shanxi Province is accelerating the development of a modern energy system as part of China’s efforts to meet its dual carbon goals. In recent years, the province has charted a path of multi-energy integration and coordinated development, balancing energy security with a green, low-carbon transition. The latest data show that Shanxi ranks among the top provinces for outbound electricity transmission, with green power exports leading the country for two consecutive years.
Renewables now account for more than 50% of Shanxi’s total installed capacity, placing increased demands on coal and thermal power to provide reliable backup and system stability. To meet these challenges, Shanxi is upgrading coal-fired units for greater flexibility, enhancing their ability to operate at deep peak-shaving levels—ensuring grid stability during low-demand periods and support during peak loads. By the end of May, the province had completed flexibility retrofits on 35.61 GW of thermal capacity, adding 6.11 GW of deep peak-shaving capability. These upgrades enable the grid to absorb an additional 9 billion kWh of renewable electricity annually.
To address the intermittency of renewables, Shanxi is promoting the integrated development of traditional and new energy sources, easing curtailment and improving system efficiency.
At the Hutuoshan Wind Farm in Pinglu District, Shuozhou City, rows of turbines convert wind into clean power. This electricity is bundled with output from thermal and storage facilities at the 500kV Minghailake Substation and delivered via the ±800kV Yanhuai UHVDC line directly to the Yangtze River Delta. At the Yanmen Pass UHV converter station, 24 massive transformers operate around the clock. Spanning 1,119 kilometers, this “electric expressway” can transmit up to 8 GW of clean energy from Shanxi to Jiangsu.
Shanxi has developed an extensive energy transmission network, with three UHV AC lines, one UHV DC line, and 14 500kV outbound connections forming a nationwide "energy interchange hub." Once the new energy base in northern Shanxi’s coal subsidence area and the 1,000kV Datong–Huailai–Tianjin South UHV project are completed, the province will be able to transmit up to 27 billion kWh of clean electricity annually to the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, boosting outbound transmission capacity to over 36 GW.
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