State Grid charges up industrial park in Anhui

In Changfeng county under Hefei, capital of Anhui province, enterprises in Future Food Industrial Park in Yangmiao are seeing booming business.

The park, home to a number of large-scale food enterprises, including those making central kitchen appliances, freeze-dried food and canned tea, is seeing new factories mushroom.

Shanghai Hengwei Biotechnology Changfeng Co Ltd is a feed processing service enterprise located in the park, providing specialized products and management techniques.

Thanks to reliable power supplies helping boost its business, it is building a second phase assembly facility, covering 2 hectares, said Liu Yuchao, director of the company's office.

"The second-phase project is some 80 percent complete, and once operational in late September or early October this year, we can serve 500 large-scale farms and generate an output value of around 1 billion yuan ($140 million)," he said.

Established as a county in 1965, Changfeng now has some 1.2 million residents in its 14 townships and one provincial-level economic development zone.

Having been ranked among the top 100 counties with comprehensive strength in China, Changfeng achieved a GDP of nearly 100 billion yuan in 2023.

The booming commercial and industrial activity in Yangmiao has led to a surge in power consumption, thus requiring reliable electricity supplies from the local grid, said Yu Chengbo, deputy director of the transmission and transformation center at State Grid Changfeng County Power Supply Co.

As the 35-kilovolt Yangmiao Substation could no longer shoulder such a large load, an expansion is underway to supplement the previous two main transformers with a capacity of only 20,000 kV, Yu said.

On June 18, the third main transformer with a capacity of 10,000 kV was being installed, with workers welding flat steel, adjusting isolation switches and laying cables from the terminal box to the control room, he said.

"We are also constructing a 10 kV outgoing line and upgrading protective equipment and ring main units within the substation, with all expansion work expected to be completed by June 28."

To meet the increasing demand for electricity due to rapid regional development, Changfeng Power Supply Co is trying to enhance the local grid project.

"During the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period, we are planning to build the 110 kV Yangmiao Transmission and Transformation Project," said Ge Ruifeng, director of the company's development and construction department, adding that construction is expected to begin by the end of next year.

"Earlier, we had already completed the cutting and modification of the 35 kV line at the 110 kV Gangji Substation, and the capacity expansion of the main transformer at the 35 kV Yijing Substation," Ge said.

Zheng Jun, office director of Hefei Chenye Packaging Group — also located in Future Food Industrial Park — said, "Whenever we have an issue with our power supply, we can call the power business manager at the county power supply company, and get timely service arrangements," he said.

"They have given us a strong sense of satisfaction with the power supply," he added.