The State Grid Group, China's largest power utility company, announced on Monday the establishment of a county-wide zero planned power outage demonstration zone in Yizheng, a county-level city in Yangzhou city, Jiangsu province.

Zero planned power outages refer to the practice of conducting power line maintenance and repairs without interrupting the electricity supply.

With the rapid development of urban economy, the demand for reliable electricity from users continues to increase. State Grid has been continuously exploring and innovating in power supply services, striving to improve user satisfaction.

Since June 2023, the company has been constructing the zero planned power outage demonstration zone in Yizheng, considering the hilly terrain of the area. The company has continuously optimized the grid structure, investing 173 million yuan ($23.77 million) to implement nearly 400 renovation projects.

In recent years, the State Grid has been cultivating professional talent in relevant fields, also taking the lead in developing related equipment.

"With the completion of the demonstration zone, the expected power reliability rate for Yizheng is projected to reach 99.9950 percent in the second half of this year, with the average annual power outage duration for users shortened to 27 minutes," said Chen Hong, deputy general manager of the State Grid Yizheng Power Supply Company. "Next, we will explore a replicable power reliability management model to meet the expectations and demands of users for uninterrupted power supply."

Li Boyu contributed to this story.