Chinese firm mulls cross-border power grid

URUMQI -- A leading Chinese power transmission provider is considering a cross-border grid project to share electricity between northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and neighboring Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Zhang Xin, chairman of Tebian Electric Apparatus Stock Co Ltd, said during the ongoing 2nd China-Eurasia Expo held in Xinjiang from September 2, that top government leaders of China and Tajikistan attending the expo had previously discussed the issue.

Zhang said Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have abundant hydro-electricity resources in summer, but they experience power shortages during the dry winter season. With the grid, they could import electricity from Xinjiang in winter and export electricity in summer. Xinjiang largely relies on coal-firing stations for power.

Zhang said TBEA's projects in the two Central Asian countries will pave the way for launching the cross-border project in the future.

TBEA has a $500 million state grid construction project in Tajikistan and another $580 million north-south grid construction project in Kyrgyzstan. The latter boasts that it is the largest energy cooperation deal between China and Kyrgyzstan to date.