Why Hasn't the US Developed Ultra-High Voltage (UHV) Transmission? China's Taiwan Deep in Power Crisis
（2025/12/08—2025/12/14）
Author：Hao-Wang
International Energy News
1. Why Hasn't the US Developed Ultra-High Voltage (UHV) Transmission?
The stark contrast between the massive power outage in Texas in October 2025 and the stable operation of China's UHV projects has triggered deep reflection on the US's absence in UHV technology. Although the US led research in the 1960s, progress stalled due to the energy crisis and policy shifts. In contrast, China’s rapid advancement is attributed to five key advantages:
Technology: China overcame bottlenecks in insulation materials and equipment weight that stymied the US, achieving full standardization and domestic production.
Institutions: While the US suffers from grid fragmentation and decade-long cross-state approval processes under its federal system, China leverages a "whole-of-nation" system for efficient execution.
Economics: US private capital avoids long-cycle investments, whereas China utilizes State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) and low-interest financing to support strategic infrastructure.
Demand: US energy resources are located relatively close to load centers, while China’s inverse distribution of resources makes UHV a necessity.
Security: The US avoids large synchronized grids due to fear of cascading failures, while China has successfully managed these risks through technological innovation.
Currently, China controls 90% of global UHV standards. Constrained by institutional fragmentation and a technological hiatus, the US now faces a significant "generational gap" in this strategic sector.
2. UK Tax "Blade" Forces North Sea Oil and Gas Giants to Retreat
International giants like ExxonMobil and Harbour Energy are accelerating their withdrawal from the UK North Sea, driven by the government's aggressive fiscal tightening since 2022. With the "Energy Profits Levy" rising from 25% to 38%, the comprehensive tax burden on companies has reached 75-78%. Furthermore, the Labour government's removal of investment allowances in late 2024 created a scenario where "increasing production means increasing losses." This policy volatility has destroyed investment expectations, pushing capital toward stable regimes like Norway.
Consequently, North Sea crude output has nearly halved in five years, and import dependency is projected to hit 68% by 2030. The industry warns that without a stable fiscal framework, the UK risks losing £13 billion in investment and 35,000 jobs over the next five years, severely undermining energy security.
3. Colombia's Baranoa III PV Project Connects to the Grid
The 23.3 MW Baranoa III photovoltaic project, constructed by Sinohydro Bureau 11, was successfully connected to the grid 31 days ahead of schedule. Following the commissioning of the 148 MW Escobales project on November 25, this marks the bureau's second grid connection in five days, making it the first enterprise in the Americas to achieve "double commissioning" within a single week.
Located in the Atlántico Department, the project will provide 50 million kWh of clean energy annually, meeting the needs of approximately 26,600 households and reducing carbon emissions by 20,500 tons per year. The project has received high praise from local authorities and effectively promotes the expansion of China's PV supply chain in Latin America.
Domestic Energy News
1. China's Taiwan Deep in Power Crisis; AI and Semiconductor Industries Risk Exodus
China's Taiwan is currently facing a severe structural power shortage and "red light" supply warnings. With the closure of the region's last nuclear power unit in May 2025, it has officially entered a "nuclear-free era," pushing thermal power dependence to 85.5%. This shift has caused industrial electricity prices to surge by 44% over three years and resulted in over 7,400 unexpected outages in 2024, highlighting extreme grid fragility.
Meanwhile, demand from the AI and semiconductor sectors is skyrocketing. TSMC's power consumption is projected to rise from 8% to 12%-25% of China's Taiwan's total, and Nvidia's CEO has set a "10 billion kWh green energy" supply as a prerequisite for returning to invest. However, local green energy construction is lagging, and reserve capacity remains critically low.
Authorities are struggling with solutions; cross-border power purchasing is logistically difficult, and the most cost-effective solution—"cross-strait power interconnection"—remains politically blocked. Industry experts warn that if the green energy gap is not bridged within three years, Nvidia may divert investments to the US or Japan, and core manufacturing capacity like TSMC’s could accelerate its exodus, costing China's Taiwan its critical position in the global AI supply chain.
2. MIIT: Actively and Prudently Advance Carbon Peaking and Neutrality in Industry and IT
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) recently held a leadership group meeting on carbon peaking and neutrality. The meeting highlighted that the industrial sector is the main battlefield for carbon reduction. Since the "14th Five-Year Plan," China has built the world's largest and most complete new energy industry chain, achieved large-scale promotion of green low-carbon equipment, and continuously reduced energy intensity.
The meeting emphasized focusing on cultivating "green productive forces" and actively yet prudently advancing "dual carbon" goals through three key areas:
Strengthening Top-Level Design: Preparing the "15th Five-Year Plan for Industrial Green and Low-Carbon Development" and implementing the "Action Plan for Green and Low-Carbon Development of Manufacturing (2025–2027)."
Improving Management Systems: Accelerating equipment updates in key industries and strengthening the supply of standards and testing methods.
Innovating Work Methods: Promoting zero-carbon factory construction and carbon footprint accounting, while exploring the potential of AI to empower green industrialization.
3. World's First 660 MW "Waste-Eating" Boiler Achieves One Year of Stable Operation
Recently, the world's first 660 MW high-efficiency ultra-supercritical Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) boiler, supplied by Harbin Electric Corporation, passed authoritative appraisal after one year of safe operation at the Shaanxi Binchang Power Station. This equipment fills a gap in the global industry and marks a major breakthrough in China's clean power generation technology.
The boiler is characterized as "not being a picky eater," capable of efficiently "digesting" over one million tons of low-calorific industrial waste, such as coal gangue and coal slime, annually—truly turning waste into treasure. Thanks to high-efficiency ultra-supercritical technology, its coal consumption for power supply has dropped below 290g/kWh, saving 66,000 tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 165,000 tons per unit annually.
Additionally, the unit features excellent deep peak shaving capabilities, operating stably within a broad load range of 25%-100%, which strongly supports the grid integration of wind and solar energy. The project achieved 100% localization from technology to manufacturing, establishing China as a global benchmark in clean coal power.
(Main news sources: CCTVNEWS APP, International Energy Network, China Energy Network, National Energy Administration, China Energy News)
