China is taking another step against air pollution by constructing a large-scale ultra-high voltage power project, according to the State Grid Corporation of China.
The new power project costs about 68.3 billion yuan ($11.2 billion) and will be comprised of new power lines that stretch for 4,740 kilometers, along with new transformer substations.
The power lines will span from Inner Mongolia stretching to Beijing and will continue to Shanghai, an online statement from SGCC cited.
Still in the early stages of construction, the new power project is estimated to be operational in 2016.
As the biggest energy user in the globe, China is now experiencing a crisis in air pollution due to the country's excessive use of coal. The effects of the pollution is evident in the smog hovering over the eastern part of the country.
With the new UHV project, the country will be able to significantly reduce its dependency on coal for energy by 160 million tonnes annually, the SGCC said.
Being the first to utilize UHV, the state-owned power corporation is planning to invest in 20 more UHV power lines in China amounting to 620 billion yuan ($101 billion) by 2017, according to an executive in the company.
Amid the controversies thrown by critics saying that the technology is very risky and too expensive, the State Grid defends the UHV project and emphasizes that the technology is dependable and is actually built to avoid power outages, contrary to what the critics say.
Once the new power lines are operational, electricity will be distributed throughout China instead of coal, which will lead to reduced air pollution.
The SGCC has started UHV power line operations in five provinces back in July.