State Grid plans to expand power network in 2011

BEIJING - State Grid Corporation of China, the biggest power-network operator in the country by market share, said it will expand its smart grid construction in fileds such as electric-charging stations and wind-power installations in 2011.

The company said it will build 173 electric-charging points, a sevenfold increase on the existing number, with 9,211 charging poles in 26 provincial regions this year.

"This will improve the electric-auto industry because the increasing number of charging stations will clear up the biggest obstacle for the industry," said Yao Jianguo, director of the State Grid smart grid research center.