Infrastructure Modernisation Is Reshaping the Electrical Equipment Industry

China’s infrastructure development is increasingly focused on system integration, digital operation, and coordinated growth. In 2026, the country’s Six Networks initiative identified New-type Power Grids as an important component of modern infrastructure, alongside water networks, computing power networks, communications networks, logistics networks, and urban pipeline networks.

As wind and solar power, energy storage, and other emerging energy technologies continue to develop, the structure of the electricity system and its operating requirements are changing. Grid development is no longer limited to expanding traditional transmission and distribution capacity. It increasingly involves renewable energy integration, flexible regulation, distribution network modernisation, and intelligent operation.

This transition is creating new technical challenges for the electrical equipment industry. Manufacturers and suppliers must not only respond to infrastructure demand but also improve product performance, application compatibility, and coordination with wider power system requirements.

1. Grid Modernisation Is Diversifying Demand for Electrical Equipment

New-type power grid development spans transmission networks, distribution networks, and intelligent microgrids. Each level has different engineering priorities, resulting in a more diverse range of equipment requirements.

• Transmission infrastructure

Cross-regional power transmission and grid interconnection require equipment capable of operating at the specified voltage levels and capacities. Reliability, insulation performance, operational stability, and compatibility with project requirements remain important considerations in transmission and substation projects.

• Distribution network upgrades

The increasing integration of distributed photovoltaic systems, energy storage, and diverse electricity loads is making distribution networks more complex. Equipment must support changing network configurations while meeting requirements for supply reliability, fault protection, and operational maintenance.

• Renewable energy and energy storage integration

Power electronic equipment, energy storage converters, protection and control devices, and associated electrical components must operate in coordination with the grid. Equipment configuration and technical solutions should be determined according to project voltage levels, connection arrangements, operating conditions, and grid interconnection requirements.

These developments indicate that demand for electrical equipment is influenced not only by infrastructure investment, but also by grid restructuring, technology choices, and the technical requirements of individual projects.

2. Renewable Energy and Energy Storage Raise Equipment Performance Requirements

The increasing penetration of renewable energy is changing traditional power system operating conditions. Variable wind and solar output, together with energy storage charging and discharging and more dynamic interactions between supply and demand, require greater flexibility and stronger fault-response capabilities.

Several technical considerations are becoming increasingly important.

• Safety and stability: Equipment must meet the applicable electrical, thermal, and short-circuit withstand requirements and accommodate the operating and fault conditions specified for its application.
• System compatibility: Selection and configuration must account for renewable energy connection methods, energy storage arrangements, grid topology, and protection and control strategies.
• Operational reliability: Design, manufacturing, installation, and maintenance practices should support consistent performance throughout the equipment’s service life.
• Environmental adaptability: Outdoor installations, high-altitude locations, high temperatures, humidity, and other environmental conditions may require specific insulation, cooling, protection, and installation measures.
• Monitoring and maintenance: As grid digitalisation advances, equipment condition monitoring, fault diagnosis, and maintenance planning are becoming increasingly relevant.
   

These requirements highlight a broader industry shift: new-type power grid development calls not only for more equipment, but also for improvements in equipment performance, engineering quality, and system-level coordination.

3. The Role of Reactors and Other Electrical Equipment in Power Systems

Reactors are important components in transmission and distribution systems, renewable energy installations, and power quality management applications. Depending on their design, ratings, and intended use, reactors can help limit short-circuit currents, support reactive power and voltage control, filter harmonics, and operate in conjunction with capacitor banks.

As grid structures and energy sources become more diverse, reactor selection and application require careful consideration of actual operating conditions and system requirements.

• Dry-Type Air-Core Reactors

Designed without an iron core and typically using air as the principal insulating medium, these reactors avoid iron-core magnetic saturation and can be configured for applications such as current limiting, reactive power compensation, and harmonic filtering, subject to the specific design.

• Current-Limiting Reactors

By introducing appropriate reactance into a circuit, current-limiting reactors help restrict short-circuit current and reduce the electrical and mechanical stresses that associated equipment may experience. Their application requires consideration of system fault levels, protection coordination, and equipment withstand capability.

• Filter and Capacitor-Bank Reactors

Depending on circuit parameters and system requirements, these reactors can support harmonic mitigation, help prevent harmonic amplification at specific frequencies, and improve capacitor-bank operating conditions. Their configuration should be supported by appropriate system studies and engineering verification.

In renewable energy and energy storage applications, reactor design may also need to account for converter operating characteristics, harmonic spectra, short-circuit conditions, temperature rise, and installation environments.

For dry-type air-core reactors in particular, induced heating in nearby metallic structures, appropriate equipment clearances, and ventilation conditions should be considered during engineering design.

The suitability of any electrical equipment for a specific project must be established through technical specifications, engineering calculations, applicable standards, and appropriate testing or validation, not solely on the basis of equipment type.

4. Digitalisation Is Transforming Equipment Monitoring and Maintenance

The development of New-type Power Grids emphasises intelligent sensing, flexible dispatch, and coordination across interconnected systems. As these technologies advance, equipment management practices are evolving as well.

Traditional maintenance strategies often rely on scheduled inspections, preventive testing, and corrective maintenance following a fault. With advances in monitoring technologies, data acquisition, and analytical tools, operators have additional ways to track equipment conditions and identify potential abnormal trends.

For electrical equipment manufacturers and suppliers, two areas deserve particular attention.

First, equipment design can increasingly consider the availability of operating data, condition-monitoring interfaces, and compatibility with relevant monitoring systems.

Second, accurate technical documentation, test records, operating instructions, maintenance requirements, and fault-analysis information remain essential to effective engineering application and lifecycle management.

Digitalisation should nevertheless be guided by actual operational needs. The value, data requirements, and implementation costs of monitoring solutions vary across equipment types. Appropriate configurations should take account of equipment criticality, potential failure consequences, operating environments, and maintenance strategies.

5. Strengthening Industry Collaboration to Improve Engineering Performance

New-type power grid development involves multiple stages, including equipment manufacturing, system design, engineering construction, commissioning, operation, and maintenance.

While improving individual equipment performance is important, effective coordination between equipment, engineering interfaces, and system-level requirements is equally essential.

DKNC makes efforts to strengthen its contribution to industry development in several ways.

• Understanding application requirements

Equipment specifications should be developed and selected with a clear understanding of the application scenario, operating conditions, electrical parameters, and relevant technical standards.

• Maintaining product quality and verification

Consistent design, manufacturing, testing, and quality management processes help improve product reliability and performance consistency.

• Strengthening engineering cooperation

Effective communication with design institutes, system integrators, engineering contractors, and end users can help reduce technical discrepancies and improve equipment integration.

• Following technological developments

Keeping track of renewable energy integration, energy storage, distribution network modernisation, and intelligent grid operation helps suppliers better understand emerging technical requirements.

• Improving technical support

Accurate product documentation, selection guidance, installation instructions, maintenance recommendations, and appropriate technical assistance can contribute to effective equipment application.

China’s Six Networks initiative places emphasis on technological innovation, industrial integration, and infrastructure resilience. For the electrical equipment sector, these priorities reinforce the importance of product improvement, technical cooperation, and engineering support.

Conclusion

New-type power grid development is encouraging the electrical equipment industry to move beyond meeting individual product requirements toward greater emphasis on system compatibility, operational reliability, and engineering coordination.

The expansion of renewable energy, energy storage, and distribution network modernisation will continue to introduce new technical challenges. These developments also underscore the importance of equipment research and development, quality management, and technical services.

DKNC will continue to monitor developments in new power systems and the electrical equipment industry, following emerging technologies and application requirements to support industry knowledge-sharing and supply-chain collaboration.

Sources:

National Development and Reform Commission, National Data Administration, Xinhua News Agency, CCTV.