China completes mega power transmission loop around southern Xinjiang desert

China has finished construction of a 4,197-km extra-high voltage power transmission loop around the Tarim Basin, home to the country's largest desert, marking a major infrastructure milestone in southern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China.

The final section of the 750-kilovolt (kV) loop, now the country's largest of its kind, was connected on Sunday, capping a 15-year project involving nine substations and nearly 10,000 steel towers, according to a subsidiary of State Grid Xinjiang Electric Power Co., Ltd., which constructed the project.

This move completed a "power expressway loop," which is expected to become fully operational by Nov. 2025, the company said.

The Tarim Basin is home to the Taklimakan Desert, the world's second-largest drifting desert. For centuries, relentless sandstorms have battered the oases of southern Xinjiang, isolating them not only in terms of distance but also from the prospects of development.

To complete the project in the harsh environment, the construction workers built roads along the loop line to achieve efficient material transportation and also solved the major problem of laying solid foundations in the desert condition with high mobility and strong winds.

"We have adopted fast construction method in three aspects, that is rapid excavation, rapid preparation, and rapid concreting, and we also adopted drip maintenance method in our operations to solve the problems of poor excavation forming rate and large-scale collapse of desert foundations," said Li Jun, supervisor of line project office with the State Grid Xinjiang Electric Power Co., Ltd.

Officials and experts say the project could put southern Xinjiang on a fast track to development and boost new energy supply nationwide.

After it is officially put into operation, the project will create favorable conditions for the grid connection of new energy sources in southern Xinjiang, provide grid support for the development of oil, gas, wind and solar resources in the Tarim Basin, and realize the export of electricity from Xinjiang through ultra high voltage lines.

The Chinese military has continued to conduct combat readiness patrols in the territorial waters of and airspace over the Huangyan Dao as well as the surrounding areas in the South China Sea since the beginning of December, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command said Wednesday.

The PLA Southern Theater Command said it has deployed naval and air forces troops to reinforce patrols and vigilance, further strengthening control and management over the relevant areas.

The move has effectively addressed various infringement and provocations, with an aim to safeguard China's sovereignty and security while maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea, according to the PLA Southern Theater Command.