Zhejiang upgrades urban power grids to improve reliability

State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power is accelerating upgrades to aging urban distribution networks across Zhejiang province, adopting standardized approaches to improve power reliability, according to the company.

The company has introduced an approach combining load transfer, live-line work, backup power and equipment replacement in cities including Hangzhou and Ningbo, Zhejiang province, allowing aging facilities to be renewed with fewer outages.

In the first half of this year, the approach was applied at the Jiuqu residential community in Ningbo, where cramped distribution rooms and poorly interconnected transformer facilities had complicated grid upgrades.

Technicians used temporary power supply equipment and low-voltage closed-loop load transfer technology to reroute electricity during construction, enabling equipment replacement and capacity expansion, the company said.

Following the renovation, the community's average outage recovery time was cut from 30 minutes to one minute, while project costs were reduced by 560,000 yuan ($77,900).

By 2030, the company aims to standardize 90 percent of distribution grid cells and complete upgrades of aging electrical equipment across the province.