PhilStar 35, China electricity and transport modernization

China electricity and transport modernization

ENERGY, INFRA AND ECONOMICS - Bienvenido Oplas Jr. - The Philippine Star 

April 3, 2025 | 12:00am

https://www.philstar.com/business/2025/04/03/2433009/china-electricity-and-transport-modernization

 

BEIJING – Bright roads and buildings, extensive subway trains covering 880 kilometers in this city alone, high-speed rail covering 45,000 kilometers across the country and a rising number of electric vehicles (EVs) from e-bikes to cars and buses. This is my first time here and I am amazed by these sights of China.

 

Those trains and EVs run on electricity and China has the largest power generation in the world with 9,456 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2023. That was double the US’ 4,494 TWh, nine times Japan’s 1,013 TWh, 18 times Germany’s 514 TWh, 33 times the UK’s 286 TWh and 79 times the Philippines’ 119 TWh. The Philippines’ total power generation in 2023 was equivalent to only five days of China generation.

 

I am here to make actual observations about China’s economy, infrastructure and energy to complement my economics research. The 9,456 TWh of power generation looks a bit abstract to me but the bright cities and provinces, the extensive rail system make that number visual, physical and tangible.

 

My hosts took me on a tour the other day to Hebei province, about 4.5 hours by car from Beijing, across many mountains to see and experience three important sectors: numerous road tunnels piercing rocky and steep mountains, a hydro pump storage facility and the high speed train.

 

I counted nine tunnels one way to reach the destination. The tunnels ranged from over 100 meters to three kilometers long, well-lit and smooth roads. Going back, the car took another route in Hebei expressway going toward Chengde and I lost count of how many more tunnels we entered but the longest one was 5,084 meters long.

 

Upon checking the web, I learned that there are 445 tunnels in China that are at least five kilometers long. And there are thousands more that are shorter than this. Plus hundreds of rail tunnels around the country. China has relatively “flattened” its mountainous roads with those numerous tunnels. Fantastic.

 

The Fengning pumped hydro storage in Hebei province is huge, 3,600 MW (300 MW x 12 units), owned by the State Grid Corp. of China (SGCC), and is the largest pumped hydro project in the world. I was surprised not only by the size of the two lakes and dams but also by the road network going up the facilities, the long tunnel descending to the control system, where the 12 turbines are located 500 meters below the surface.

 

The Upper Reservoir capacity is 45 million cubic meters, the upstream drainage area above the dam is 44 million square meters with a dam crest elevation of 1,510 meters.

 

The Lower Reservoir capacity is 72 million cubic meters, the upstream drainage area above the dam is 10 million sqm and the dam crest elevation is 1,066 meters. Another reservoir has a capacity of nearly 14 million cubic meters with a dam crest elevation of 1,066 meters.

 

The two largest impounding hydro power plants in the Philippines are San Roque (435 MW) in Pangasinan and Magat hydro (360 MW) in Isabela. Our largest pumped hydro is Kalayaan hydro (736 MW) in Laguna. Combined capacity of these three big projects is 1,531 MW, less than one-half of Fengning project alone.

 

We have lots of floods in the Philippines yearly. Our annual problem is too much water, not lack of water. One important solution would have been more big water impounding projects and dams, not more permits, regulations and prohibitions. Then we can have more hydro electricity, more drinking water and irrigation sources.

 

The third important experience for me that day was riding the high-speed rail from Chengde to Beijing. It was getting dark already but the train was running up to 309 kilometers per hour (kph), I was amazed. The train’s top speed is 350 kph on long flat terrain, and I think it is the fastest train in the world. The train station in Chengde is huge but the central station in Beijing is even bigger, like a modest-sized international airport, bright and well-lit.

 

Back in Manila, last Monday March 31, the Department of Energy (DOE) reported that the liquified natural gas (LNG) plants have synchronized with the grid to further improve our energy stability and security. Good.

 

The Linseed Field Corp.’s LNG terminal resumed gas send-out operations with a capacity of 1,350 MW as South Premiere Power Corp. (SPPC) synchronized to the grid while Excellent Energy Resources Inc. (EERI) faced a delay due to technical issues with its switchgear.

 

The two LNG plants SPPC and EERI and the LNG terminal are now jointly owned by Meralco PowerGen (MGEN), San Miguel Global Power and Aboitiz Power. I am happy with this partnership of the three big energy companies because we need more big plants, coal and gas plants. It is also easier for the system operator, National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) to commit and invest in more transmission lines projects and bring the big power supply to various distribution utilities. During the grid synchronization of SPPC and EERI, NGCP also coordinated their shutdown and reopening schedules, ensuring no supply disruption.

 

China has developed a lot. It overtook the US in merchandise exports in 2007, in power generation in 2011 and in GDP size (PPP values) in 2016. We are neighbors with China, and we should learn from them through greater economic and energy cooperation. We should prioritize material prosperity for our people, not war-mongering.