Guangdong’s Installed Capacity Surmounts 100 GW, Achieving Coordinated Regional Development

Recently, as projects such as unit No.3 of Yangjiang Nuclear Power Station as well as unit No.5 and 6 of Dongguan Dongxing Power Plant had been put into operation, by the end of January, 2016, Guangdong’s installed capacity had reached 102.17 GW. So far, Guangdong has become the second province after Inner Mongolia, whose installed capacity surpasses 100 GW.

The increase of installed capacity improves the overall power supply capability of Guangdong. During the 11th Five-Year Plan period, Guangdong’s overall power supply was insufficient, with different levels of peak load shifting due to limitation of power source. At the preliminary stage of the 12th Five-Year Plan period, Guangdong’s power supply situation was still serious. Guangdong Power Grid Company strove to improve its ability of predicting and analyzing the balance of electric power, fully tapped the potential of power generation within the province, strictly implemented the principles of orderly electricity consumption, and tried its best to ensure orderly power supply in Guangdong. In the later phase of the 12th Five-Year Plan period, the power supply tended to be in surplus. It is estimated that at the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan, Guangdong’s overall installed capacity will reach 133 GW, and the power supply capacity of Guangdong will be further improved.

Up to now, the installed capacity of eastern, western and northern Guangdong has reached 51.916 GW, accounting for 54% of that of the whole province, an increase of 11 percentage points compared with that at the end of the 11th Five-Year Plan period.

In the past few years, Guangdong has removed traditional manufacturing industries from the Pearl River Delta to eastern, western and northern Guangdong, whose electricity consumption growth consequently surpasses that of the Pearl River Delta, forming a new area of load growth. In order to meet the needs of Guangdong’s economic and social development, Guangdong Power Grid Company has accelerated the power grid construction of eastern, western and northern Guangdong.

While promoting the optimal development of Pearl River Delta’s power grids, Guangdong Power Grid Company comprehensively implements the development strategy of revitalizing eastern, western and northern Guangdong, investing more resources in those areras, and promoting the coordinated development of power grid. According to relevant statistics, during the 12th Five-Year Plan period, Guangdong Power Grid Company, with reasonable planning on power grid, successfully built a 500 kV main grid structure with the Pearl River Delta region as its center. The main grid stretches toward the east, the west and the north, making it possible to have large power sources connected into the grid.

As a major province of economic strength and energy consumption, Guangdong’s power consumption in recent years has risen significantly. It is urgent to build an open, diversified, clean, safe and economical energy security system. Guangdong Power Grid Company offers convenient access to clean energy through various measures, such as energy-saving generation dispatching and photovoltaic power generation, which enhances the “cleanness” of installed capacity.

Since the start of energy-saving generation dispatching in 2008, the company has preferentially arranged clean energy as well as clean and efficient fire coal and gas units to generate electricity. During the 12th Five-Year Plan period, 7.84 million tons of standard coal was saved with a 19.68 million tons reduction of CO2 emission.

In the past few years, by actively supporting the accelerated development of photovoltaic industry, Guangdong Power Grid Company has established a comprehensive service system for photovoltaic to be connected into the grid, providing convenient, timely and effective grid-connected services for photovoltaic power access. By the end of 2015, the installed capacity of distributed photovoltaic projects (including connected grid) has amounted to 638.2 MW.

From the 11th to the 12th Five-Year Plan, the increase of Guangdong’s clean energy installed capacity was higher than that of non-clean energy. According to relevant statistics, currently Guangdong Power Grid Corporation’s unified adjustment of installed hydropower, wind power, solar power and nuclear power takes up 21.1% of the total installed capacity, rising by 7.1% compared to that at the end of the 11th Five-Year Plan.