State Grid Changzhou Power Supply Company ensures ample electricity for key village industry

On Feb 24, the State Grid Changzhou Power Supply Company organized staff members to inspect the electrical equipment at a planting base for nandina in Niuchang village of Liyang, Changzhou，Jiangsu province.

"Thanks to their timely repairs, the plant had plentiful water supply," a planter said.

Nandina, is renowned for its ornamental value that changes with the seasons, making it a popular choice in landscaping. Since its trial planting in 1995, Niuchang village has developed into the largest nandina production base in the country, earning a spot on the list of "towns and villages with national signature industries reaching a 1-billion-yuan scale" in 2021.

By the end of last year, the village's planting area had expanded to 533.3 hectares, with an annual output exceeding 250 million plants, capturing 80 percent of the national market share. The average net income per hectare has surpassed 2,667 yuan ($367), driving about 60 percent of the households in the village onto the path of greater prosperity.

In response to the planting characteristics of nandina, which requires spring growth, summer irrigation, autumn harvest and winter storage, the State Grid Changzhou Power Supply Company created a seasonally adaptive power service model. During the spring and autumn seasons, they focused on upgrading and renovating the main 10 kilovolt lines such as Niuchang Line and Lancheng Line, implementing 23 projects including substation capacity expansion and line insulation upgrades.

During the peak irrigation period in summer, they relied on the "grid service group" to speed up fault response by 60 percent, ensuring the stable operation of irrigation equipment.

"During the continuous drought last winter, the power supply company completed the special inspection of the spring irrigation line in advance, giving us confidence," said Li Laixi, the secretary of the village Party committee.

This year, the State Grid Changzhou Power Supply Company plans to invest over 60 million yuan in comprehensive rural network transformation in Liyang, continuously strengthening the safety operation level of rural power grids, and injecting robust electric power into the revitalization of rural areas.