The Japanese edition of People's Daily 15 July 2026, 14:03

According to the "China Power Supply Development Report (2026)" recently released by the National Energy Administration, China has built the world's largest power supply system. In 2025, the country's total electricity consumption for society as a whole exceeded 10 trillion kilowatt-hours (kWh) for the first time, and the number of electricity users became the highest in the world. The level of power supply has reached an internationally advanced standard, reported the Science and Technology Daily.

The report states that in 2025, national investment in power grids reached 639.5 billion yuan (1 yuan is about 23.9 yen), of which 321.8 billion yuan was invested in distribution networks below 110 kilovolts (kV), accounting for more than half of the total. Provisional statistics show that the total length of 10–110kV distribution lines nationwide exceeds 9 million kilometres, equivalent to over 220 times around the Earth's equator. The capacity to ensure power supply and overall load response capability has continued to improve. In addition, the total length of transmission lines above 220kV has exceeded 1 million kilometres.

China's power supply system has also made further progress in environmental considerations. In 2025, electricity accounted for about 30% of final energy consumption, well above the world average. The installed capacity of renewable energy power generation ranks first in the world, and the electricity generated accounts for 38.5% of total social electricity consumption, an increase of about nine points from the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016–2020). Nearly 4kWh out of every 10kWh of electricity consumed comes from green power, and its growth rate continues to be among the top in major economies worldwide.

As the use of digital and AI technologies progresses, various procedures related to electricity use are becoming more efficient in China. According to reports, power companies have used large language models for electricity like 'Guangming' and 'Dawa', introducing technologies like image recognition and transmission route optimisation algorithms, enabling AI-assisted power supply planning and blueprint reviews. Over 2 million AI-supported power supply plans were created annually. In addition, 'Smart Customer Service' was advanced to provide 24-hour services like knowledge consultation, electricity bill inquiries and outbound reminders to users, with annual usage exceeding 100 million cases.

People's Daily Japanese Edition, 15 July 2026