Screenshot of Page 08 of the Overseas Edition of People's Daily, January 3, 2026

Nanning, (Reporter Pang Geping) Recently, the first cross-sea interconnection project in the Beibu Gulf of Guangxi—the 220 kV Beihai-Weizhou Island Cross-Sea Interconnection Project of the Southern Power Grid—began laying submarine cables. This is China's first 220 kV submarine cable using domestically produced insulation materials. Once put into operation, the project will end the history of 'island-isolated grid operation' on Weizhou Island in Beihai, injecting strong momentum into Guangxi's maritime economic development.

It is reported that the 220 kV Beihai-Weizhou Island Cross-Sea Interconnection Project (referred to as the Cross-Sea Interconnection Project) is a major energy project in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, invested and constructed by Guangxi Power Grid Company, with a total investment of about 858 million yuan. The project starts from the 220 kV Dunhai Substation in Beihai and ends at the 220 kV Weizhou Substation, with the most complex and critical part being the laying of 44.8 km of submarine cable.

This 'sea dragon' has carried 'technological genes' since its inception—it is China's first 220 kV submarine cable in which one of the three phases uses domestically produced insulation materials. It has been certified by the China Machinery Industry Federation as a domestic innovation, with comprehensive technology reaching an internationally advanced level. It realizes the localization of long-distance submarine cable insulation materials and overcomes the 'bottleneck' technical problem in China's cable industry. This marks a new milestone in the localization and large-scale application of high-voltage submarine cable insulation materials in China, and is of great significance for ensuring the security and sustainable development of the national energy industry chain and supply chain.

The Cross-Sea Interconnection Project is expected to commence acceptance and operation in mid-January. Once operational, it will end the history of 'isolated grid operation' on Weizhou Island in Beihai. The island's power supply capacity will increase from 35,000 kW to 161,000 kW, completely solving the problem of insufficient public power sources and meeting the electricity demand for Weizhou Island to accelerate its development into a world-renowned leisure and vacation island. At the same time, it can support the grid connection requirements of offshore wind power near the island, providing a key transmission channel for future offshore wind power in the Beibu Gulf and establishing a new energy hub to strengthen maritime development.