World’s first UHV GIL project nears completion in Nantong

Workers install electric equipment in the GIL underground power line on April 25. [Photo/IC]

The world's first ever ultra-high voltage (UHV)) gas insulated underground power line (GIL) connecting Suzhou and Nantong in East China’s Jiangsu province is expected to be completed and start operating this year, according to authorities.

Installation of major electric equipment began in March, and 25 percent of the work has been completed thus far.

The enormous 12-meter wide pipe stretches 5,468.5 meters along the bottom of the Yangtze River, with its upper layer carrying a high-performance 1,000kV line and its lower layer containing a 500kV cable, communication lines, and other municipal cables.

Upon completion, it will be the world’s first ever operational 1,000-kilovolt UHV GIL power line – a type of underground electric transmission system.

The new line will be part of a larger project that runs from Huainan in northern Anhui province through southern Anhui to Shanghai, forming a UHV network connecting major cities throughout East China.

It will allow the network to receive an additional 35 million kW of power, reducing coal consumption by 200 million tons. 

Workers conduct tests in the GIL underground power line on April 25. [Photo/IC]