China grid investment to hit record $574 bn

BEIJING: China’s State Grid will spend 4 trillion yuan ($574 billion) to upgrade the country’s power grid between 2026 and 2030, state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday.
The planned outlay represents a 40% increase in fixed-asset investment compared with the previous five-year period, as China accelerates the expansion of wind and solar capacity to meet its target of peaking carbon emissions by 2030.
The investment averages about 800 billion yuan a year, surpassing the record 650 billion yuan invested by the national grid operator in 2025.
Funding will focus on strengthening China’s west-to-east power transmission network, using high-voltage lines to transport electricity across thousands of kilometres from less densely populated western regions to eastern cities, Xinhua said.
State Grid aims to increase cross-provincial and cross-regional power transmission by 30% from end-2025 levels. The spending will also support expansion of distribution networks in both urban and remote areas, and the development of off-grid and microgrid power generation models. — Reuters