China starts Sichuan-Tibet grid construction

Construction of power lines between Tibet and southwest China's Sichuan Province got underway on Tuesday.

The project will cost over 6.6 billion yuan (1.08 billion US dollars), and should be complete in the first half of 2015, solving the power shortage and transmission problems in parts of Tibet. More than 1,521 kilometers of lines will connect Qamdo Prefecture in Tibet and the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze in Sichuan, with four substations.

The project covers some very harsh terrain and work conditions are difficult with an average altitude of 3,850 meters. Shu Yinbiao, general manager of the State Grid, said that environmental protection and safe working conditions are vital to the project's success. Medical services for construction workers include 26 health centers and four hyperbaric oxygen chambers.