Rapid development of clean energy and prominent risk of excess coal-fired power generation

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In recent years, non-fossil energy sources have maintained a rapid pace of development, with clean energy accounting for an increasingly larger share of total energy consumption. Data from the China Phosphorus Coal Industry Network show that in 2017, the growth rates of installed capacity for hydropower, wind power, nuclear power, and solar power were 4%, 20.3%, 19.7%, and 29.5% respectively. This indicates that non-fossil fuel-based power generation will continue to grow at a rapid pace throughout this year, and the substitution for coal-fired power generation will persist. At the same time, the construction of ultra-high voltage power transmission is accelerating even further. To date, the power grid has seen the completion of a total of six AC and six DC ultra-high voltage projects; there are currently three AC and five DC ultra-high voltage projects under construction. In total, 20 ultra-high voltage projects are in operation or under construction, with a total length of transmission lines reaching 30,000 kilometers. Ultra-high voltage power transmission not only improves the utilization rate of wind and solar energy, but also plays a supplementary role when hydropower is insufficient; it further reduces the growth potential of coal-fired power generation.