On August 20, the Ningxia–Hunan ±800 kV ultra-high-voltage direct current (UHVDC) transmission line project (hereinafter referred to as the "Ningdian Ru Xiang" project), China's first approved UHV transmission corridor designed mainly to transmit new energy from large wind and photovoltaic bases in the "desert, gobi and wasteland" regions, and in which Hubei Engineering Company participated in the design, was commissioned and began transmitting power, which will provide strong momentum for advancing China's energy transition and development.

As an important component of the "West-to-East Power Transmission" program, the "Ningdian Ru Xiang" project is a key project in China's 14th Five-Year Plan for electric power development, and is also China's first UHV outward transmission corridor designed mainly to transmit electricity from large new energy bases in "deserts, gobi and wastelands." The project starts at the Zhongning converter station in Zhongwei City, Ningxia, passes through Gansu, Shaanxi, Chongqing and Hubei, and ends at the Hengyang converter station in Hengyang City, Hunan Province, with a total line length of approximately 1,616 kilometers.

The section designed by Hubei Engineering Company is approximately 102 kilometers long, with the entire route in mountainous and high-mountain terrain characterized by steep topography and large vertical drops; 80% of the section lies in karst development areas, and the heavily iced area accounts for as much as 72% of the length. The design team overcame challenges such as heavy ice zones, large elevation differences and long spans, and actively applied new technologies, new materials and new processes—including laser point clouds, large-specification angle steel, transition-section tower leg design, and differentiated ice-resistant and lightning-protection design—to improve the reliability of line operation.

After commissioning, the "Ningdian Ru Xiang" project will have a power transmission capacity of 8 million kilowatts and will transmit approximately 36 billion to 40 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity to Hunan Province each year, equivalent to one-sixth of Hunan Province's annual electricity consumption, of which new energy "green power" will account for more than 50%. It will effectively drive the development of the energy industry in the western region, strongly support the transformation of Ningxia's energy resource advantages into economic and development advantages, and is of major strategic significance for promoting the realization of the "dual carbon" goals and ensuring power supply.