In recent days, as the cold wave unfolds as scheduled, various areas in Hunan have entered the quick-freeze mode, and electric power towers and lines are also facing the threat of icing. To fully cope with the freezing rain and snow weather, and to ensure that people across the province enjoy a warm and peaceful Spring Festival, the power department in Hunan has deployed 24 de-icing vehicles, 51 sets of main grid de-icing devices, and 116 sets of distribution network de-icing equipment, rushing to various locations throughout the province to carry out de-icing operations.
On February 3rd, the 24th day of the last lunar month, which is the Little New Year (Chinese: Xiaonian) inSouthern China and an important day leading up to the Spring Festival, households are filled with a festive atmosphere of reunion. However, on this day, in Ningxiang, Changsha, at the 500-kV Anning Substation, power workers are busy conducting de-icing operations on the overhead transmission lines of the 500-kV Fu’an I Line. This line is a crucial route transmitting electricity from Yiyang to the provincial capital, Changsha. On that day, the icing thickness on the line increased rapidly by 8 millimeters, requiring de-icing operations.
“We plan to use our independently developed fixed DC de-icing device. It can de-ice hundreds of kilometers of lines in just one hour, effectively ensuring the safety of the lines.”said Ma Li, who is in charge of the Disaster Reduction Center of State Grid Hunan.
Also on the same day, in Zhangjiajie City, hundreds of kilometers away, power workers found through monitoring that the icing on the conductors had reached 10 millimeters in just a short 4 hours in the afternoon. State Grid Zhangjiajie Power Supply Company immediately initiated the first de-icing operation for DC transmission lines in thiswinter. “Be careful, it’s slippery here!” During the mobile ice observation tour to the Wutian-Tianye-Gongye lines, the de-icing team members simulated the walk of penguins but dared not slow down their pace, successfully reaching the fixed ice observation post on Mount Tianzi.
The temperature on the mountain is even lower. The team members started 24-hour duty, immediately conducted equipment inspections, and initiated the de-icing operation for the Wutian-Tianye-Gongye lines, keeping a constant watch on the icing situation of the power lines.
On the other side, at the 220 kV Hujiaping Substation in the urban area, power workers conducted segmented de-icing operations on the 110 kV Huguan line. As the de-icing work started, the conductors gradually warmed up, and the ice covering them began to fall off. By 8 p.m., the de-icing work on this line was successfully completed.
Hunan Meteorological Bureau announced that from the evening of February 5th to the 7th, a new round of low-temperature freezing rain and snow weather is expected in Hunan. Some areas in the north and central Hunan will experience moderate to heavy snow, and there may be local snowstorm. In some southern areas, there could be sleet or freezing rain.
At present, the Hunan power department has activated 184 fixed observation posts, 1,955 mobile observation posts, and 418 sets of online icing monitoring devices to comprehensively monitor ice conditions. A total of 3,585 emergency repair personnel and 715 repair vehicles have been deployed for emergency repair work. The entire province has deployed 1,464 emergency repair teams with 19,699 personnel on standby.
