The myth of “UHV”: “Only the right one is the best”

Take Japan as an example. As the demand for electricity decreased due to the economic crisis, the voltage of 1000 kV ultra-high voltage transmission lines was reduced to 500 kV.

In an interview with China Science Daily, Lin Boqiang pointed out that the development of UHV must meet two conditions, namely, length and quantity, both of which are indispensable. The so-called length refers to the transmission distance being long enough, and quantity refers to the demand being large enough. He believes that the reason why power-rich countries such as the United States have not promoted UHV on a large scale is that they have not met the above two conditions at the same time, which is an important factor, while China has met them.

However, if the issue of pumped storage power prices can be resolved, Lin Boqiang hopes that the State Grid will develop pumped storage. "Its pull effect on wind power and photovoltaic power is better than that of UHV."

Chen Haoyong suggested that the development of UHV should be led by the State Council, just like the construction of the Three Gorges Project, and influential academicians and experts should be organized to conduct a truly independent and scientific demonstration of my country's power grid structure. The results should then be submitted to the State Council and the Political Bureau of the Central Committee for review, and finally submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for discussion, so as to determine the correct development direction of UHV technology and engineering planning.

China Science Daily (2020-04-15, 3rd edition, Energy and Chemical Engineering)