The State Grid Corporation of China (State Grid) completed fixed asset investments exceeding 270 billion yuan (about 37.8 billion U.S. dollars) in the first half of the year, representing an 11.7 percent year-on-year increase and setting a historical record for the period, according to the company on Tuesday.
In its operational areas, the newly installed capacity for renewable energy reached 203 million kilowatts, marking a year-on-year growth of 108.7 percent.
The newly added capacity for pumped storage reached 2.575 million kilowatts, achieving 70 percent of the annual construction target.
The State Grid has accelerated the construction of renewable energy transmission channels, steadily improving its system regulation capabilities. This effectively ensures the safe and stable operation of the power grid and promotes the high-level consumption of renewable energy.
China's State Grid invests over 270 bln yuan in fixed assets in H1
Northern China has launched full-scale clearing efforts to ensure smooth and safe traffic after multiple regions experienced the first snowfalls of the winter season.
In Inner Mongolia, snowfall began on Thursday night and continued through Friday morning in the northern and western parts of the autonomous region. Ordos City in the west experienced mild to moderate snow in most areas, with the northern part receiving the most snowfall of over five millimeters.
"The snow removal team has been working around the clock to clear snow and reduce slip hazards on sections prone to icing, including bridges, slopes, and curves. This aims to minimize the impacts of snowfall on road traffic," said Liu Feng, chief of a local highway maintenance station.
Snowfall in Jinan, capital of north China's Shandong Province, has been strengthening since 14:00 on Friday, with the local weather service upgrading the snowstorm warning signal from blue to yellow at 19:20 on the day.
Local authorities prepared over 1,670 snow removal machines for operation and immediately started clearing work as precipitation began.
Meanwhile, in north-central China's Gansu, temperatures in the rural Jishishan County dropped about 10 degrees Celsius as the rest of the province was largely affected by Friday's snowfall.
Gansu is a crucial passageway for traffic between China's eastern and western regions, so local authorities acted quickly to ensure highway safety.
"We applied deicing agents on sharp curves, steep slopes, and bridges, and increased patrols on roads in case any emergency situations may come up," said Che Yifan, deputy chief of a local highway maintenance station.
Snow also covered the Chinese capital Beijing on Friday, prompting emergency responses from local transportation authorities, with over 4,000 personnel and more than 2,600 pieces of machinery being dispatched to carry out the clearing effort.
Prompt clearing efforts begin amid season's first snowfall in northern China
