Guangdong Power Grid: Building Six "Power Bay Areas" to Serve the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area

Economic Reference News Reporter Cheng Jing

“Switch on! The No. 2 Port New Terminal Substation is officially connected to the power grid.” Recently, as the indicator lights on the equipment turned on one by one, the third major power project of the year officially went into operation at the Hengqin Power Supply Bureau of Guangdong Zhuhai Southern Power Grid. By the end of January, the investment completion rate for Hengqin’s power grid in the first quarter had exceeded 96%, marking a strong start for grid construction.

Entering the first year of the 14th Five-Year Plan, the power engine is running at full speed. By 2026, Guangdong’s power grid will focus on building six “Power Bay Areas” centered on resilience, green low-carbon development, integrated scientific industries, digital collaboration, intelligent empowerment, and open sharing. The plan includes accelerating 24 key projects such as the Guangdong East to Shenzhen second transmission corridor, promoting the delivery of clean energy from Tibet, Qinghai, and other western regions into the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, completing seven zero-carbon demonstration projects including Zhaoqing Longhu Substation, establishing a research base for clean and low-carbon power technology innovation, creating a new energy storage industry innovation hub, deepening the physical operation of the Power Robot Laboratory and Hengqin Shared Laboratory, and enhancing advantages and breakthroughs in building a vibrant, competitive first-class Bay Area and world-class urban cluster with six “Power Bay Areas.”

“New” Power Bay Area: Continuous Investment in New Digital Power Infrastructure

After the Spring Festival holiday, the famous overseas Chinese hometown of Jiangmen Kaiping Tangkou in the Greater Bay Area experienced a surge in electricity demand. The newly upgraded digital smart grid has ensured reliable power supply for the holiday. The Jiangmen Power Supply Bureau of Southern Power Grid built an unmanned drone intelligent maintenance demonstration zone in Tangkou, achieving 100% coverage for aerial line inspections and distribution network automation. A flexible young digital team was also formed to provide safety and reliability for 327 new startups in the area.

The Bay Area is revitalizing and accelerating development. By 2026, Guangdong’s power grid will deepen the development of digital infrastructure for the “Power Bay Area.” This includes advancing the demonstration construction of digital power grids in Zhongshan, creating replicable landmark results, and expanding the “Power Hong” IoT demonstration zones in Hengqin and Nansha. Standardized terminal operation systems will be unified, and the application of Power Hong devices across sources, networks, loads, and storage will be promoted.

Guangdong’s power grid will also establish a smart and reliable power supply demonstration benchmark for Hong Kong and Macao. It will coordinate the deployment of multi-rotor drone mesh grids for full coverage, enabling remote automated inspections. Digital equipment such as video monitoring and online sensors will be installed on key transmission lines involving Hong Kong and Macao for real-time digital operation and maintenance. The working mechanism for interconnected operations with Hong Kong and Macao will be maintained, with optimal outage windows for critical equipment, and risk management for interconnected device outages will be coordinated. Emergency plans for power supply to Hong Kong and Macao will be revised, and risk prevention and control will be strengthened.

“Green” Power Bay Area: Rapid Progress in Building High-Speed Clean Energy Transmission Routes

On January 30, the 500 kV Ganchang Transmission and Transformation Project in Zhaoqing, Guangdong, was officially put into operation. This is the first 500 kV substation to start operation in Southern Power Grid’s 14th Five-Year Plan. The next day, the offshore wind power direct current transmission project in Sanshan Island, Yangjiang, also reported progress: the upper modules of the offshore converter station were successfully topped out, moving closer to the October commissioning target.

Good news from these projects is flowing, with green electricity surging into the Bay Area, injecting strong momentum for high-quality development. By 2026, Guangdong’s power grid will strengthen the foundation of green energy in the Bay Area and lead a global wave of green energy use. “We will accelerate the planning of transmission channels from clean energy bases in Qinghai, Xinjiang, and other western regions to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area,” said Gao Chao, Deputy Director of the Bay Area Office of Guangdong Power Grid. Guangdong will pilot projects such as integrated smart energy stations combining wind, solar, and storage, and accelerate the construction of seven zero-carbon demonstration projects including Longhu Substation in Zhaoqing.

The green transformation of the Bay Area is also progressing towards “new” developments. On February 10, the third phase of distributed photovoltaic and energy storage microgrid systems on Sanmen Island in Daya Bay, Huizhou, was successfully energized and put into operation. The island now has a complete microgrid, achieving full coverage of stable power supply across the entire island, providing a bright example of a “zero-carbon benchmark” for the Bay Area’s development of new power systems in land, sea, urban, and rural areas. “The islands in Daya Bay have reliable, clean energy comparable to that of the mainland cities, and stable green power lights up everyone’s happy life,” said Chen Ming, Manager of the Construction Department at Huizhou Daya Bay Power Supply Bureau of Southern Power Grid.

A stronger, smarter, greener power grid will further deepen the green foundation of the Bay Area. By 2026, Guangdong’s power grid will continue to vigorously promote the construction of new power systems and new energy frameworks, accelerating the green transformation of the Bay Area like a double-driven engine, injecting continuous green momentum for higher-quality development.