Quzhou, Zhejiang: Proactive power-line relocation paves way for landmark water-conservancy project
The power-line migration project at the left-bank work site of the Zhangcun Reservoir entered a full-swing phase on Oct 15 in Zhangcun township, Jiangshan, Quzhou. Employees of State Grid Quzhou Power Supply Company were rerouting the local grid — erecting new circuits, pulling down old poles, and shifting equipment — to make way for the Zhangcun Reservoir, a priority public-infrastructure project of the municipal government.
[Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Located in Zhangcun township, the Zhangcun Reservoir controls a 45.3-square-kilometer catchment. Designed primarily for flood control, municipal water supply, and irrigation, the scheme will also improve the aquatic ecosystem and host a 3-MW hydropower station. Budgeted at 2.27 billion yuan ($318.6 million), the project will impound 23.61 million cubic meters in total, including 3.7 million cubic meters of flood-control storage, and is being built in two separate sections on the left and right banks.
To keep the project on schedule, State Grid Quzhou is relocating all conflicting overhead assets under a government-coordinated timetable. For the reservoir proper, the utility must migrate three 10 kV feeders, dismantle 26 aging poles, erect 16 new lattice and steel-pipe towers, and string 3.25 kilometers of new high- and low-voltage conductors.
[Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
To minimize customer impact, crews adopted an advance stringing and rapid cut-over strategy that shrinks the interruption window, while multiple low-voltage mobile generators were deployed to maintain supply to downstream distribution transformers. Working around rugged terrain and at a high altitude, the project team synchronized material deliveries and manpower, producing a lean, science-based execution plan. On cut-over day, the full sequence — line transfer and transformer relocation — was completed in under six hours.
Thanks to this cross-departmental effort, the left-bank relocation has already been energized successfully on the first attempt, clearing a key path for reservoir construction.
[Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Next, State Grid Quzhou will press ahead with the right-bank line shift. Quality, safety, staffing, and logistics will be managed under a strict, end-to-end control framework to ensure the power-relocation portion of the project is delivered to the highest possible standards.
