Southern Power Grid accelerates the construction of a new type of power system to help develop new quality productive forces

From December 9 to 10, the 5th International Forum on New Power Systems and the 20th International Technology Forum of China Southern Power Grid were held in Boao, Hainan Province. The Southern Power Grid Company introduced its deep implementation of the new energy security strategy of 'Four Revolutions and One Cooperation,' profoundly grasping the trends in energy and power development, and promoting the latest practices in the construction of a new energy system and new power system through digitalization and greening collaboration. Southern Power Grid is accelerating the formation of a new quality of energy and power productivity, speeding up the construction of a new power system, and actively providing corporate experience and contributing Southern Grid solutions for the global green and low-carbon energy transition.

Vigorously promote a greener supply structure

Currently, the installed capacity and generation share of non-fossil energy in Southern Power Grid reach 63% and 55%, respectively, leading the world among power grids of similar scale. The installed capacity of new energy is nearly 180 million kilowatts, making it the largest power source in the Southern region. The target of adding 100 million kilowatts of new energy installed capacity during the 14th Five-Year Plan period has been completed one and a half years ahead of schedule. It is expected that by 2030, Southern Power Grid Company will support the installed capacity of new energy in the five southern provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Hainan to exceed 400 million kilowatts.

Southern Power Grid Company focuses on typical issues that urgently need breakthroughs in the construction of new power systems, such as large-scale new energy grid connection, and is coordinating the construction of the first batch of 35 new power system demonstration zones. In the future, 48 more demonstration zones and projects will be newly built or continued, addressing big problems with 'small cuts,' exploring common practices, and enhancing the grid's capacity to accept, allocate, and regulate clean energy.

Focusing on the challenges of connecting large-scale offshore wind power bases in the future, Southern Power Grid Company is building an offshore wind power and energy storage demonstration zone in Yangjiang City, Guangdong Province. To ensure the large-scale grid connection and consumption of new energy in Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, Southern Power Grid Company will incorporate the photovoltaic power sources in the Chuxiong area, the 500 kV Guanghui transmission and transformation project, related users, and the Yongren Zhixin independent shared energy storage project into the overall planning and construction, forming an integrated new energy cluster project of source, grid, load, and storage, capable of delivering 1.4 billion kilowatt-hours of clean energy annually.

Southern Power Grid Company will also focus on creating a new power system demonstration zone with a high proportion of clean energy at the provincial level in Yunnan and Hainan. Currently, Yunnan Province has established a major framework of 'four horizontal and four vertical' 500 kV main grid; the construction of a 500 kV provincial digital grid covering the entire Hainan Island is more than halfway complete, and once completed, it will strongly support the development and utilization of new energy such as offshore wind power.

Vigorously promote stronger technological innovation

The construction of new power systems faces many challenges, and technological innovation is key to solving these problems. Southern Power Grid Company has innovatively proposed to build a key carrier for digital grids, promoting the continuous development of new technologies, new models, and new business formats in energy and power.

New technologies are making the power grid stronger. In Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, a flexible, efficient, and coordinated intelligent control system has been built, significantly enhancing the grid's operational control capabilities and emergency risk management for high-proportion new energy access. In Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, a "three-dimensional dual-ring" future main grid framework is being constructed through flexible DC, addressing intertwined issues such as short-circuit current and voltage stability under high load density. In the future, Southern Power Grid Company will promote flexible grid-forming technology across all voltage levels and scenarios, widely applying it to new energy collection and transmission, and flexible grid interconnection, to support the construction of a new power system.

Southern Power Grid is accelerating the application of technological achievements such as drones, communication, and artificial intelligence, making a widely connected, holistically perceived digital grid a reality. Drone inspections cover 100% of lines at 220 kV and above, 99.5% of substations are unmanned, and the effective coverage of distribution automation has reached 94%. Digital technology empowers the entire chain of power generation, transmission, transformation, distribution, and consumption, significantly improving the system's observability, measurability, adjustability, and controllability.

In the construction of the new power system, new technologies such as vehicle-grid interaction and virtual power plants are widely applied, continuously fostering new business formats and models. As of November this year, the Shenzhen Virtual Power Plant Management Center has cumulatively connected 56 virtual power plant operators, organized over a hundred precise response events, bringing approximately 18.01 million yuan in economic benefits to virtual power plant operators and creating direct economic benefits of 170 million yuan. Over 300 industry chain manufacturers have joined the "Dianhong" ecosystem, covering mainstream chip, communication module, and terminal equipment companies. Currently, "Dianhong" has adapted to more than 150 types of IoT terminals in the power industry, and is expected to cover over 100 million terminals in the future, driving an industrial scale of over 10 billion yuan.

In Taipan Village, Taijiang County, Guizhou Province, although winter has arrived, the "Village BA" competition is still in full swing. Inside the court, 80 spotlights illuminate the entire venue, and two large screens clearly display the players' movements and every goal scored.

Green electricity provides strong support for major cultural and tourism activities in Guizhou Province. In the second half of this year, Taijiang County and Rongjiang County's "Village BA" and "Village Super League" jointly purchased 560,000 kilowatt-hours of green electricity. This marks the first time that major cultural and tourism activities in Guizhou Province have participated in green electricity and green certificate trading.

Currently, China Southern Power Grid is deeply advancing the market-oriented reform of the energy and electricity sectors, and the unified national electricity market system has been initially implemented in the southern region.

Since the beginning of this year, nearly 100 new energy enterprises in the five southern provinces and regions have participated in spot trading in the southern regional electricity market, with a scale increase of about 12 times. Independent energy storage power stations and pumped storage have achieved a "zero breakthrough" in entering the market. Through market-oriented mechanisms, an average of 58 million kilowatt-hours of clean energy (Western Power) is delivered daily, and the southern regional electricity market is increasingly adapting to the development trend of the new power system. When fluctuations occur in new energy in the five southern provinces and regions, the optimal consumption path can be automatically found within the entire region through the technical system within 15 minutes.

Currently, the southern regional electricity market has formed a market system with close connections between medium- and long-term, spot, and auxiliary service markets, with diversified participants and rich product offerings. The regional electricity spot market has entered a trial operation with monthly settlement, and the first regional market management committee in the country has been established. New energy, pumped storage, virtual power plants, etc., are orderly entering market trading, and a market system and pricing mechanisms that adapt to the new power system are accelerating their formation. The trading volume of green electricity and green certificates has exceeded 70 billion kilowatt-hours cumulatively this year, a year-on-year increase of 7 times, completing the largest single batch of green certificate transactions in the country.

Vigorously promote broader international cooperation

From November 15th to 16th local time, the 31st Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting was held in Lima, the capital of Peru. China Southern Power Grid's Peruvian company, Luz del Sur, provides more stable electricity supply to an area of over 1,600 square kilometers in northern Lima and its surrounding areas, involving 18 important transmission and distribution lines and 11 hub substations related to the meeting activities.

China Southern Power Grid has promoted its power supply guarantee practices to Peru. By applying power supply guarantee solutions, Luz del Sur has effectively reduced the risk of power outages, significantly improved its power safety emergency management capabilities, provided better support for the meeting activities, ensured the safe and stable operation of electricity during the conference, and also brought a high-quality electricity experience to local residents.

For a long time, Southern Power Grid Company has continuously promoted high-level opening-up, sharing China's energy and power transformation experience with global partners. From deeply cultivating the Lancang-Mekong region to expanding into Latin America, Central Asia, Europe, and other regions, Southern Power Grid has applied green and low-carbon transformation technologies and experiences to the Lao National Power Transmission Network project, to Chile's longest and highest voltage level DC transmission project, and to its equity participation in Luxembourg's distribution and Uzbekistan's wind power projects. While significantly enhancing its international development level and global resource allocation capabilities, the company also provides high-quality power services to countries jointly building the "Belt and Road Initiative."

Standing at a new starting point, Southern Power Grid will continue to deeply implement the "four revolutions, one cooperation" new energy security strategy, and work hand in hand with all parties to tackle green and low-carbon technology challenges, open up new tracks for industrial development, and promote energy governance reform, jointly advancing the digital and green transformation of the energy and power industry, and contributing to global sustainable energy development.