China’s main state-owned grid operator plans a sharp increase in power infrastructure spending as the country accelerates its clean energy transition. State Grid will invest about 4 trillion yuan ($574 billion) to upgrade China’s power grid between 2026 and 2030, state media reported on Thursday.
The planned outlays mark a 40% rise in fixed-asset investment compared with the previous five-year period, according to Xinhua. The investment averages around 800 billion yuan annually, surpassing the record 650 billion yuan spent in 2025. The push is aimed at supporting rapid growth in wind and solar power as Beijing works towards its goal of peaking carbon emissions by 2030.
A significant portion of the funding will be used to strengthen west-to-east power transmission, using ultra-high-voltage lines to move electricity from sparsely populated western regions to major eastern cities. State Grid also plans to lift cross-provincial and cross-regional power transmission by 30% from end-2025 levels. Additional spending will expand urban and rural distribution networks and explore off-grid and microgrid power solutions to improve energy security.