State Grid Luoyang Power Supply Company: Electricity makes mugwort even more aromatic

In the aseptic production hall of Henan Sancai Ai Industry on Sept 25, the grassy fragrance of moxa sticks mingles with the low hum of machinery. Beside the line, workers' fingers fly as they sort freshly formed sticks into boxes that quickly rise into miniature mountains. These still-warm mugwort products will soon speed along logistics networks to households across China.

Mugwort, cultivated and used in Ruyang county, Henan province, for centuries, was certified as a national geographical indication product in 2017 and listed in the national catalogue of well-known, special, excellent and new agricultural products in 2021. The county now has 50,000 mu (3,333 hectares) of planted mugwort and 100,000 mu of wild stands, involving 5,000 farming households and 25 cooperatives, generating a combined annual output value of 5 billion yuan ($687 million). Ruyang is actively building a modern industrial consortium that utilizes large-scale, standardized processing enterprises as anchors, family farms as the base, and specialized cooperatives as the link, all organized through shareholding and professional division of labor.

"We introduced modern production lines and proprietary cultivation technology to develop the premium Longcao mugwort variety, driving more than 6,000 mu of planting and benefiting over 700 households. Our next step is to expand mugwort processing and build an all-electric workshop for Chinese medicinal herbs, which will impose even higher demands on power quality," said Sun Kai, general manager of Henan Sancai Ai Industry Co.

As the mugwort sector grows, its need for advanced electrification keeps rising. State Grid Luoyang Power Supply Company has therefore intensified distribution-network development, instituted a "Chief Responsibility Officer" system, and delivers robust power support for the high-quality development of this distinctive industry.

On the morning of Sept 25, Liu Jiaxiang and colleagues from the Liudian Power Supply Station were carrying out scheduled inspection and defect-elimination work on the external switchgear serving the aseptic hall, ensuring rock-solid electricity for production.

"The station's technicians assist us regularly, checking in-house wiring to guarantee safe, reliable power. With them here, we have an extra line of defense," Sun Kai said.

Mugwort processing is highly sensitive to power stability. State Grid Luoyang has continuously upgraded infrastructure and supply security to safeguard processing, storage and R&D. Keeping pace with the sector's expansion, the company provides one-to-one electricity service: inspecting customer equipment and devising scientific power-use plans. To date, it has saved 11 county-wide mugwort enterprises more than 200,000 yuan in electricity costs, invested over 18 million yuan, added 6,630 kVA of capacity, and built or upgraded 31 transformers, further optimizing the county's grid structure and propelling the sector forward.

The rich mugwort aroma is now sprouting new shoots of rural vitalization. Ruyang is exploring agritourism, leisurely entertainment and moxibustion therapy to draw more residents into the mugwort value chain, turning the industry into a "happiness engine" that strengthens the county and enriches its people.