China’s clean energy drive advanced this month as the State Grid Corporation’s Ningxia–Hunan ultra-high voltage direct current (UHVDC) project officially began transmitting electricity on August 20, according to China Economic Net. The 1,616-kilometer line is the country’s first UHV channel primarily built to carry wind and solar power from bases in desert, Gobi and wasteland to central regions. With an investment of 28.1 billion yuan and new energy accounting for more than 70 percent of its 17.64 million kilowatts of supporting capacity, the project will deliver up to 36 billion kilowatt-hours annually—around one-sixth of Hunan’s demand. Industry analysts say the commissioning reflects China’s broader pivot in energy investment “toward green and new,” with a wave of renewable, grid, and storage projects accelerating nationwide.

Government data show that in the first half of the year, investment in key energy projects exceeded 1.5 trillion yuan, rising 21.6 percent year-on-year. Spending on wind, solar, and offshore renewables surged across multiple provinces, while funds also flowed into smart grids, hydrogen, and energy storage. The National Energy Administration reported that investment in new energy storage and integrated generation-grid-load-storage systems grew by more than 30 percent, while charging and swapping infrastructure climbed nearly 70 percent. Hydrogen energy projects likewise doubled, with several large-scale green hydrogen facilities in Jilin Province advancing quickly. Experts stress that these technologies are critical to balancing intermittency challenges and ensuring renewable output can be absorbed reliably by the grid.

Looking ahead, analysts expect the second half of the year to maintain this strong pace, with grid modernization and energy storage projects becoming increasingly central to the country’s clean energy transition. While ultra-high voltage transmission enables large-scale renewable integration, energy storage and hydrogen remain essential to stabilize supply and unlock the full potential of China’s expanding green power base.