State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power builds smart 'firewall' for grid

Li Yuan, assistant to the shift leader of the transmission operation and inspection center monitoring team at State Grid Changzhou Power Supply Company, was conducting scheduled online patrols of key transmission line corridors from the transmission monitoring center on Nov 12, checking for fire hazards such as accumulations of flammable materials.

This initiative is part of Jiangsu's innovative effort to build a smart "firewall" for the power grid. Leveraging over 160,000 high-definition visual monitoring devices installed along transmission corridors, the Jiangsu power supply department has developed an intelligent early warning system that integrates technologies like artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things. This creates an integrated air-space-ground monitoring network, enabling the intelligent, round-the-clock perception of the operational status of transmission lines.

Recently, a spontaneous combustion of straw occurred beneath a transmission line in Wujin district, Changzhou, Jiangsu province. Almost simultaneously, a nearby visual device accurately detected the anomaly. The AI analysis platform immediately issued an alert and notified a nearby grid maintenance officer. The entire process, from detection to on-site resolution, took just over ten minutes, successfully averting a potential fire that could have caused a line trip.

"In the past, we relied on manual line inspections, which led to slower hazard detection and delayed responses. Now, with the intelligent early warning system, the identification and handling of hazards have accelerated from hours to minutes," said He Yicong, deputy director of the Transmission Operation and Inspection Center at State Grid Changzhou Power Supply Company. He explained that the system can automatically identify various risks, including smoke, mechanical construction, and vegetation encroachment. "Especially with increasing economic and social development, construction involving large equipment like cranes and concrete pump trucks is becoming more frequent. The system can effectively prevent damage from external forces and significantly enhance grid security."

Currently, as the critical period for ensuring peak winter power supply approaches, Jiangsu has achieved full visual coverage of key sections of its 220‑kilovolt and above main power grid across the province. It has established a closed-loop management mechanism featuring cloud-based analysis, online task dispatch, and localized handling. "This mechanism not only drives the transformation of grid operation and maintenance from retroactive response to proactive warning but will also provide strong support for the secure and stable energy supply in the Yangtze River Delta," added He.