As of the end of last year, the generated electricity capacity of the Tibet Autonomous Region grew by 74.2 percent that of 2010, basically guaranteeing the electric power needs for local economic and social development as well as for people’s daily lives, Xinhua reported.

Construction on Tibet’s power grid has undergone tremendous developments in recent years. Tibet’s electricity is generated by hydropower, geothermal, wind power and solar energy combined with the hydropower as the major energy, and its electricity capacity is growing year by year.

Data from the Energy Bureau of Tibet Autonomous Region shows that by the end of last year, the installed capacity of hydropower was 1.057 million kilowatts, fuel thermal power was 390,000 kilowatts, solar photovoltaic power plants generated 199,000 kilowatts, wind power was 7,500 kilowatts. And geothermal power stations generated 27,000 kilowatts.

Since the “Twelfth  Five Year“ Plan(2015-2020), Tibet has built hydropower stations in Chamdo, Lhasa, Ngari, Nyingchi, and others places, as well as new energy projects such as a large-scale photovoltaic power plant in Ngari and the middle part of Tibet.

The Zangmu Hydropower Station was put into operation in November of last year after nearly eight years of construction and a total investment of 9.6 billion yuan. It has a total installation capacity of 510,000 kilowatts. It is a landmark engineering project in the history of Tibet’s power development. This hydropower station has solved Tibet’s hydropower energy supply problem, especially the power shortage during the long winters. All units will be put into operation this year.

In addition, Tibet will also build first 220- kilovolt power transmission projects, with the electric grid highest voltage at 100 kilovolts D.C. ± 400 kilovolts, and an exchange of 500 kilovolts. The Qinghai-Tibet D.C. Network Project has ended Tibet’s history of electric grid isolation and plays a major role in alleviating power shortages.

When the Sichuan-Tibet Network Project is put into operation, it will solve the problem of power shortages in Chamdo, and the first delivery of electrical power will lay the foundation. As of the end of last year, the total length of the electrical transmission line in Tibet has reached 30,000 kilometers.

The hydropower stations and many photovoltaic power stations in Nyingchi and Chamdo will gradually be put into operation this year. The total power generation capacity is expected to reach 2.4 million kilowatts by the end of this year.