Ultra-high voltage transmission lines should be constructed in Northeast China sooner rather than later, due to problems transporting surplus electric power to other parts of China where there is high demand for it, suggested by members of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

"Northeast China is an important base for producing clean energy and has lots of potential for wind power and other clean energy generation," said Huang Yanming, chairman of Jilin committee of CPPCC. "However, this is the only part with no ultra-high voltage transmission lines in China."

There are situations in Northeast China where wind farms were unable to transport output to the grid, as they generated too much power and supply exceeds demand.

In Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, 18.7 percent of the output became useless, with the rate reaching 30 percent in Jilin province. Overcapacity led wind turbine generators to become idle, said Zhi Jianhua, a member of CPPCC.

Zhi Jianhua said that currently, power generated in Northeast China can only be transmitted across a 500 KV line, but still there is a plenty of surplus electric power unable to be sent into the grid system in the north, east and central parts of China.

Therefore, he considered the need to construct ultra-high voltage transmission lines urgent, in order to generate clean energy circulation in the big markets across China.

"Power plants in Northeast China can transport nearly 90 billion kWh of electricity generated by clean energy to the east and central part of China providing ultra-high voltage transmission lines were built. This is equivalent to reducing the use of 50.4 million tons of coal and cutting carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and other pollutants emissions by 87.38 million tons," according to Huang Yanming.

Huang suggested integrating the grid project into the 13th Five Year Plan of Chinese power development to not only effectively ease overcapacity but also to share the benefit of clean energy with more people across the country.