Prospect Analysis of China is Power Equipment Industry

Prospect Analysis of China’s Power Equipment Industry
Power equipment serves as the foundation for ensuring stable and secure energy supply as well as the sustained and healthy development of the national economy. Based on relevant data and materials, let’s discuss together: how do you think the power equipment industry will develop over the next decade?

Major Achievements of Power Equipment in the Past Decade
After more than 30 years of development since reform and opening up, especially in the past decade, China’s power equipment manufacturing industry has undergone earth-shaking changes, forming an industrial system with complete product categories, large scale and a certain level of technology.

(1) China’s Power Equipment Output Ranks First in the World
Since 2006, China’s annual output of power generation equipment has exceeded 100 million kilowatts for 9 consecutive years, accounting for more than 50% of the global output. By the end of 2014, China’s installed capacity of power generation equipment reached 1.36 billion kilowatts, surpassing the United States to rank first in the world.

Since 2008, China’s annual output of transformers has exceeded 1 billion kVA for 7 consecutive years. The length of transmission lines of 220 kV and above reached 578,900 km, ranking first in the world.

China has become a veritable major power equipment manufacturing country. In 2014, the total industrial output value of the power equipment manufacturing industry exceeded 5 trillion yuan, with main business income of 5.33 trillion yuan, profit of 311.2 billion yuan, and total import and export volume of 164.9 billion US dollars.

(2) Continuous Improvement of Technical Level of Power Equipment
Power equipment represented by large-scale power generation complete sets, UHV power transmission and transformation complete sets, and smart grid complete sets with independent intellectual property rights has reached the international leading level. The landmark key technical equipment and products include:

Power generation equipment: 1000 MW ultra-supercritical thermal power units, 700 MW and above hydropower units, 1000 MW nuclear power units, etc.; 300 MW F-class heavy-duty gas turbines.
Power transmission and transformation equipment: 1000 kV UHV AC transmission complete sets, ±800 kV UHV DC transmission complete sets, and power transmission and transformation complete sets for smart grids. In particular, the “LaiDian” transformer launched by Dianlaohu.com is the first Internet customized brand in the power equipment industry!
Key core components: Safety valves for ultra-supercritical thermal power units and large-scale nuclear power units, protective circuit breakers for large-scale power generation units, 5-inch 7200V/3000A and 6-inch 8500V/4000-4750A electrically controlled thyristors, 5-inch 7500V/3125A optically controlled thyristors, and converter valves for DC transmission with voltage levels of ±800 kV and below.
(3) Significantly Enhanced Capability to Support National Key Project Construction
Through unremitting efforts over 30 years, adhering to the combination of “production, education, research and application”, and through introduction, digestion, absorption and re-innovation of technologies, China has successfully developed a batch of power equipment that suits China’s national conditions and reaches international leading levels.

These equipment have been successively applied to a number of national key projects, including the Henan Qinbei 600 MW supercritical thermal power project, Zhejiang Yuhuan 1000 MW ultra-supercritical thermal power project, Ningxia Lingwu 1000 MW ultra-supercritical air-cooled thermal power project, Sichuan Baima ultra-supercritical circulating fluidized bed project, Three Gorges Hydropower Project, Xiluodu Hydropower Project, Xiangjiaba Hydropower Project, Ling’ao Phase II Nuclear Power Project, Sanmen Nuclear Power Project, Guanting-Lanzhou East ±750 kV AC power transmission and transformation project, Jindongnan-Nanyang-Jingmen 1000 kV UHV AC transmission project, Yunnan-Guangdong ±800 kV UHV DC transmission project, and Xiangjiaba-Shanghai ±800 kV UHV DC transmission project. These applications have effectively guaranteed the smooth implementation of the national “West-East Power Transmission” energy strategy.

Key Development Directions Predicted by Dianlaohu for the Next Decade
1. Thermal Power Equipment
Master the environmental protection upgrading and transformation technology of coal-fired power units, improve the energy conversion efficiency of units, and achieve ultra-clean emission of coal-fired power units. Drive the “going global” of complete sets of thermal power equipment and expand the share in the international market.

Key development areas: 1000 MW ultra-supercritical ultra-clean emission coal-fired power units (including double reheat), 600 MW and above super (ultra)critical boilers burning Zhundong coal in Xinjiang, 600 MW supercritical circulating fluidized bed boilers, high-moisture lignite water-saving coal-fired power units, 300 MW F-class heavy-duty gas turbines, 400 MW G/H-class heavy-duty gas turbines, control systems for large-scale thermal power units, etc.

2. Nuclear Power Equipment
Implement the special project for independent innovation and industrialization of nuclear power equipment, establish a complete industrial system for independent nuclear power equipment, and ensure that the safety and advanced nature of nuclear power equipment meet the highest international standards. Through foreign engineering general contracting, form the capacity for batch export of nuclear power units with independent intellectual property rights. Dianlaohu.com has now launched a one-stop foreign trade procurement solution to further support China’s power equipment to go global!

Key development areas: CAP1400 nuclear power complete sets, Hualong One nuclear power complete sets, high-temperature gas-cooled reactor, sodium-cooled fast reactor, thorium-based molten salt reactor nuclear power units.

3. Renewable Energy Equipment
Implement the special project for innovation of complete sets of smart grid equipment, achieve localization of large-capacity energy storage equipment, ensure that large-capacity energy storage technology and MW-level energy storage equipment meet the peak-shaving needs of the power grid, and solve the bottleneck of renewable energy grid connection. Distributed renewable energy applications such as wind power, photovoltaic power generation, small hydropower, biomass energy, ocean energy and geothermal energy will form a large scale to meet the needs of China’s energy structure adjustment. Fully master the design and manufacturing technology of 700 MW and above large-scale hydropower units. Accelerate the pace of exploring emerging markets such as South America and Africa, and promote the “going global” of complete sets of hydropower equipment.

Key development areas: 1000 MW ultra-large-capacity hydropower units, 700 m and above ultra-high head impulse water turbine units, 40 MW and 700 m head and above pumped storage units, 15 MW and above variable-speed pumped storage units, high-efficiency solar power generation equipment, 5 MW and above wind power generation equipment, MW-level advanced large-capacity energy storage equipment, etc.

4. Complete Sets of Power Transmission and Transformation Equipment
Fully master the design and manufacturing technology of UHV AC and DC transmission complete sets, improve the technical level of complete sets of power transmission and transformation equipment, and realize engineering application of new high-temperature superconducting power transmission and transformation equipment. Implement the energy efficiency improvement plan for power equipment such as transformers, and further improve the energy conversion efficiency of power equipment.

Key development areas: 1000 kV UHV AC transmission complete sets, ±800 kV and above UHV DC transmission complete sets, ±200 kV and above flexible DC transmission systems and complete sets, power transmission and transformation equipment and user-side equipment for smart grids, green and environment-friendly high-efficiency power transmission and transformation equipment, high-power power electronic devices, high-temperature superconducting materials and high-temperature superconducting power transmission and transformation equipment, etc.

5. Key Components, Materials and Supporting Systems
Focus on breaking through the bottlenecks that restrict China’s power equipment manufacturing industry from being large to strong, develop key components and materials for power equipment through independent research and development and realize their engineering application, accelerate the construction of test and verification platforms for power equipment, and effectively enhance the sustained innovation capability of the power equipment manufacturing industry.

Key development areas: Heavy-duty gas turbine compressors, high-temperature components and control equipment; large-scale nuclear power pressure vessels, steam generators, coolant main pumps, control rod drive mechanisms, reactor internals, welded (integrally forged) rotors for large-scale nuclear power steam turbines, 2000 mm-level last-stage long blades, and rotors for large-scale half-speed steam turbine generators; key main equipment for nuclear islands of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors, sodium-cooled fast reactors and thorium-based molten salt reactors; advanced, high-efficiency and low-cost air-cooled systems for 1000 MW-level air-cooled units; three types of valves for ultra-supercritical coal-fired power units; generator motors for variable-speed pumped storage units, runners for variable-speed pump turbines, speed control systems, AC excitation and control protection systems; large-scale high-efficiency heat absorption, storage and exchange main equipment and control systems for solar energy; biomass energy and waste-to-energy equipment; large-capacity generator protection circuit breakers; intelligent components for smart power transmission and transformation equipment; high-voltage and large-current vacuum interrupters; bushings for high-voltage DC transmission; metal film DC capacitors; high-voltage and high-power IGBT modules for flexible DC transmission; transformer on-load tap changers; insulating materials and electrical alloys.