On Dec 3, within the Jiangbei Control Station in Xiangyang city, Hubei province, maintenance personnel sent routine inspection instructions to the Niushou 220 kilovolt substation located tens of kilometers away through an intelligent patrol system.

Once the instructions were issued, various inspection terminals within the substation, including unmanned drones, track inspection robots and high-definition cameras, immediately responded to conduct precise inspection tasks. This scene was a manifestation of the steady progress in constructing a new type of power system.

In recent years, the State Grid Hubei Power Supply Company has closely followed the national strategy to create a pioneering area for a new type of power system in the northern region of Hubei province (including the regions of Xiangyang and Suizhou). This pioneering area aims to play a demonstration role in establishing a new type of power system, promote energy production and consumption revolution, ensure energy security in Hubei and serve as an important strategic project for accelerating the rise of the central region in China.

Due to the abundant new energy resources in the Xiangyang area, the proportion of new energy installed capacity has been rapidly increasing. By early 2025, the installed capacity of new energy is expected to reach 5.92 million kilowatts, with a clean energy installed capacity of 6.6 million kW.

However, as a sub-center city in the province, Xiangyang's power grid faces challenges in ensuring power supply, balancing local consumption of new energy and maintaining the safe and stable operation of the grid. Therefore, the construction of the pioneering area for a new type of power system in northern Hubei is not only an urgent need but will also provide valuable experience for the establishment plan of a new type of power system in Hubei.

The Niushou 220kv substation is a key part of the integration and consumption of new energy in the Niushou area of Xiangyang, making it one of the breakthroughs in the construction of the new type of power system in northern Hubei.

In November, the smart station transformation project at the substation was completed, and State Grid Xiangyang Power Supply Company established the first smart substation pilot in the northern Hubei region. This not only represents a practical step in the transformation of the intelligent operation and maintenance model for State Grid Xiangyang Power Supply Company but also injects vitality into the construction of the new type of power system in northern Hubei.

State Grid Xiangyang Power Supply Company is adopting the pilot project to advance the overall construction of smart stations. By building a three-dimensional intelligent patrol network consisting of drones, simple robots and high-definition cameras, full coverage intelligent inspection of primary and secondary equipment inside and outside the substation is achieved. This project integrates remote control, intelligent auxiliary equipment systems and intelligent inspection systems to ensure energy security in the northern Hubei region in a smart, flexible, economical and efficient manner.

"With the help of inspection terminals, digital meters, environmental sensors and other equipment, maintenance personnel can grasp information such as the appearance, status parameters and dynamic environment of equipment within the station without leaving their posts. The main control station can also automatically identify equipment defects using intelligent algorithms and generate reports, which has significantly improved the efficiency of inspection," said Zhang Yanyan, director of the Jiangbei Control Station.

It is expected that by the end of 2026, State Grid Xiangyang Power Supply Company will achieve the replacement of intelligent patrols in 90 substations in its jurisdiction, saving an average of 6,212 person-times of manual inspection per year and approximately 1,200 hours of inspection time.

From manned surveillance to unmanned surveillance, from comprehensive automated substations to today's smart substations, each iteration in China's power system embodies the upgrade and innovation of industrial technology. The intelligent transformation project at the Niushou substation in Xiangyang is a typical example of this transformation. With the construction of a new type of power system and the deepening of intelligent transformation, a safer, more reliable, more efficient and more economical electricity supply and consumption model will gradually become a reality in this complex power system.