For the first time, power outages in ordinary counties have been included in the hierarchical control of accidents

For the first time, power outages in ordinary counties have been included in the accident hierarchical management and control——

How is electricity used in the county managed? New rules are coming

The county power grid is connected to the city on one end and the countryside on the other. In addition to important places such as hospitals and schools, many ordinary households also have strong demand for stable power consumption.

Recently, the State Council announced the revised "Regulations on Emergency Response, Investigation and Handling of Electric Power Safety Accidents" (hereinafter referred to as the "Regulations"), which for the first time includes large-scale power outages in other county-level administrative areas other than county-level cities into graded accident control. This means that whether it is a first-tier city or a remote county, there is a "ruler" for identifying power outage accidents.

In recent years, with the rapid development of my country's electric power industry, especially the accelerated construction of new power systems, the composition of power sources has become more diversified, the scale of the power grid has continued to expand, and new grid-connected entities have continued to emerge. Power security is facing new situations and new challenges. The current regulations that have been implemented for more than ten years can no longer fully meet actual needs.

On the one hand, the power grid has "grown up" and the old standards are no longer applicable.

"From 2011 to 2024, the electricity load of county-level cities in my country has increased by 165%. The electricity load of other districted cities, provincial capital cities, municipalities, and provincial regions has increased by more than 120%. The original load rating ranges of power grids at all levels no longer match the current power grid scale." Lin Zhenzhi, a professor at the School of Electrical Engineering at Zhejiang University, said. In addition, from the perspective of power structure, the original standards mainly adapt to the traditional power system dominated by thermal power, and lack sufficient regulation for new safety risks such as unit off-grid and voltage abnormalities caused by large-scale wind power and photovoltaic grid connection.

On the other hand, the power consumption structure in counties has become more complex.

With the advancement of new urbanization and the overall revitalization of rural areas, the production and life of urban and rural residents are increasingly dependent on electricity supply. New scenarios for electricity consumption in counties are also constantly emerging. Sun Runjia, an associate researcher at the School of Electrical Engineering of Shandong University, analyzed that with the large-scale access of new entities such as distributed photovoltaics and charging piles, the power consumption model in counties is accelerating the transformation to multiple interactive sources, grids, loads and storage, and the operating mechanism of the power grid is more complex. Some county power grids still have practical shortcomings such as a high proportion of old equipment and prominent risks of extreme meteorological disasters. The risk of large-scale power outages exists objectively. Therefore, the amendment to the Ordinance is timely.

What provisions are made in the new regulations for electricity use in counties?

First, the accident grade standards were adjusted “strictly and scientifically”. According to reports, the revised "Regulations" take the predicted average load of the power grid in 2030 as the base, and strictly adjust the load intervals of all levels of power grids to make the accident identification standards more realistic and targeted. On the one hand, the proportion of power grid supply load reduction and the proportion of power outages for power supply users remain unchanged. On the other hand, the value of the load range of the power grid at all levels must be strictly determined.

In addition, county power outages were included in accident management and control for the first time. This is a highlight of this revision. The "Regulations" clarify that in other county-level administrative areas other than county-level cities with a load of more than 180 megawatts, situations where the power grid reduces the supply load by more than 70% or more than 80% of the power supply users experience power outages will be included in the control of general power safety incidents. This is the first time in my country that large-scale power outages in other county-level administrative areas other than county-level cities have been included in the scope of general accident control. This means that power outages in counties are not a "trivial matter." Once the standards are met, they must be reported and handled in accordance with the newly stipulated procedures.

Sun Runjia believes that the "Regulations" also clarify that remote areas with a load of less than 180 megawatts, counties with small populations and weak economic foundations will be managed and controlled as power grid risks and will not be included in the scope of accident classification for the time being. This fully takes into account the differences in natural conditions, economic development levels, population density, power grid structure, etc. between different counties.

The "Regulations" also make relevant provisions in response to the current situation of high proportion of new energy power generation being connected to the grid. "In response to the new characteristics of system operation brought about by large-scale integration of new energy sources into the grid, the revised regulations include risks such as voltage abnormalities, power generation equipment off-grid, and lack of backup power management into the scope of accident management and control, and consolidate the main responsibilities of power generation companies for network-related safety," Lin Zhenzhi said. The "Regulations" improve the rules for determining abnormal voltage accidents, add accident situations where the network-related performance of power generation equipment does not meet the technical requirements, resulting in reduced output, and also add accident situations where power generation equipment is repaired without authorization during standby.

"After the "Regulations" are revised, the accident determination is more in line with the current changes in the scale of the power grid and the power supply structure, which is conducive to accurately identifying power safety risks, objectively carrying out accident investigation and handling, urging all parties such as power grid companies, power generation companies, and power users to implement safety responsibilities, and providing a solid legal guarantee to ensure the safe and stable operation of the power system and maintain social public security." Lin Zhenzhi said.

(Reporter Liao Ruiling, People's Daily Overseas Edition)