en.Wedoany.com Reported - On June 30, the "mega project" of the ±800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current (UHV DC) transmission project from Northern Shaanxi to Anhui, which transmits electricity over a thousand kilometers, was officially put into operation. Construction of the project officially began in March 2024, starting from the Yan'an Baotashan Converter Station and ending at the Hefei Hezhou Converter Station, with a total line length of approximately 1,055 kilometers. It can transmit over 36 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity from Northern Shaanxi to Anhui annually, equivalent to nearly 60% of Hefei's total electricity consumption in 2025 and nearly 10% of Anhui's total annual electricity consumption. This is also the first UHV DC channel in Anhui Province that fully absorbs a high proportion of renewable energy.

Since the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Anhui's industries have grown rapidly. New energy vehicles, smart home appliances, integrated circuits, and photovoltaic storage clusters have emerged, becoming the core engine of the province's economic growth and driving a surge in electricity demand.

In 2025, the province's total social electricity consumption exceeded 370 billion kilowatt-hours, an increase of over 130 billion kilowatt-hours compared to 2020, with the increment being 1.7 times that of the 13th Five-Year Plan period. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Anhui's total social electricity consumption grew at an average annual rate of 9.0%, ranking third nationwide and first in the Yangtze River Delta.

"Before 2021, this area was still a stretch of rice paddies. Now, it has become a super factory cluster driven by both vehicle manufacturing and core component supporting industries." In the Changfeng Xiatang Industrial Park in Hefei, Fan Shaobin, member of the Standing Committee of the Changfeng County Party Committee and Secretary of the Xiatang Town Party Committee, witnessed the dramatic transformation from rice paddies to super factories over the past few years.

In 2023, the first and second phases of BYD's Hefei base were fully put into operation, with an annual vehicle production of nearly 500,000 units. Driven by such enterprises, the electricity consumption of vehicle manufacturing enterprises in Hefei alone surged by 162.27% year-on-year in 2023.

Computing power electricity consumption has also seen a boom. A relevant official from State Grid Wuhu Power Supply Company stated that in 2025, the city's computing power load electricity consumption accounted for approximately 2.6% of total social electricity consumption, and this proportion is expected to rise to 6.6% in 2026. From January to February this year, the electricity consumption of the Wuhu computing power center, where Huawei Cloud's East China data center is located, surged by 337% year-on-year.

The transmission of electricity from Shaanxi to Anhui is not a one-way "blood transfusion" but a mutually beneficial two-way effort. To ensure stable power supply, the project will be accompanied by the construction of 4,000 MW of coal power, 11,000 MW of wind and solar new energy, and 2,200 MW of energy storage devices in Yan'an.

Anhui Energy Group is the leading enterprise for the development and construction of supporting power sources in Anhui. According to Li Jianhe, head of Yan'an Anhui Energy Power, the total investment for the entire project chain is estimated to be between 80 billion and 100 billion yuan, which could bring nearly 1 billion yuan in stable tax revenue to the old revolutionary base area annually.

At the Shenmu Hengfeng New Energy Company's Hanlin Wind Farm, head Yang Lukuan introduced that the operation and maintenance of just one wind farm with an installed capacity of 200,000 kW can provide employment for 14 young people, each earning over 100,000 yuan per year.

"The implementation of the 'mega project' of transmitting electricity from Shaanxi to Anhui is an urgent need for the industrial takeoff of Anhui and even the Yangtze River Delta region, as well as a new opportunity for the revitalization and development of the revolutionary holy land Yan'an, enriching the people and boosting industries," Li Jianhe said.