Gansu to ease Tibet's power needs

Northwest China's Gansu province capable of producing extra energy will transfer 700 million kilowatt-hours (kwh) of electricity to Tibet autonomous region in 2016.

It is estimated that this transmission will provide 18 percent of Tibet's annual power consumption, limiting power shortages during the harsher months of the year, according to Gansu Power Grid on Friday.

In addition, the transmission will reduce power surplus in Gansu. Electricity sales in the province stood at 76.3 billion kwh in 2015, down 6.7 percent year on year, mainly due to a reduction in industrial consumption. Power consumption in Gansu declined for four consecutive months since September.

Gansu is a major power provider in northwest China. New energy, including wind and photovoltaic power, accounts for more than 40 percent of the installed capacity of the provincial power grid. Nearly 17 percent of power consumption in Gansu are from new energy sector.