Recently, State Grid Corporation of China officially released the "Technical White Paper on New Ultra-High Voltage Direct Current Transmission System", announcing a major breakthrough in the field of ±800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current cable insulation materials and intelligent monitoring technology. This technology can increase transmission efficiency by about 12% and reduce losses by more than 15%, providing key support for the "West-to-East Power Transmission" strategy.
Technical highlights:
Breakthrough in domestic insulating materials: The new type of nano-composite insulating material can withstand a voltage intensity of 650 kV/mm, far exceeding the international standard (550 kV/mm), and has successfully passed the 2000-hour extreme environmental aging test.
Intelligent monitoring system: Integrating distributed optical fiber sensing and AI diagnostic algorithms, it achieves millimeter-level positioning of cable temperature, deformation, and partial discharge, and the accuracy of fault early warning has been increased to 98.5%.
Accelerated engineering application: The world's first 500-kilovolt flexible direct current submarine cable project (Guangdong Yangjiang Offshore Wind Power Transmission Project) has been fully put into operation, and the annual power transmission capacity of a single line can meet the needs of 4 million households.
Industry Impact:
Accelerated industrial upgrading: Leading enterprises such as Zhongtian Technology and Hengtong Optoelectronics have added new production lines for insulating materials. It is expected that by 2025, the domestic production capacity of high-voltage direct current cables will account for 35% of the global total.
Enhanced standard-setting power: China has taken the lead in revising the IEC 62895 international standard for high-voltage direct current cables, adding seven "Chinese solutions" technical parameters.
Support for green transformation: After the technology is implemented, the transmission capacity from the northwest wind power base to the load center in the east will exceed 10 GW, equivalent to reducing carbon emissions by 28 million tons annually.
Expert Viewpoint:
"DC transmission is like an 'energy highway'," pointed out Li Ming, director of the State Grid DC Technology Center. "This breakthrough has solved the 'bottleneck' problem of large-capacity and long-distance power transmission, clearing the technical obstacles for building a new type of power system with new energy as the main body."
Market Outlook:
According to BloombergNEF's forecast, the global market size of high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cables will reach $22 billion in 2025. China's share is expected to rise from the current 28% to 40%. Ultra-high voltage, deep-sea wind power, andcross-border interconnection will be the three major growth drivers.
