“Everest Portal” Tibet-China and Ali Grid Network Project 4R053 completed the construction of the power transmission line pylons at the junction of Rize Lazhi County 西藏日喀则拉孜县 , and Dingri County定日县, in Tibet. It sets a new record as the world’s highest ultra-high voltage grid construction at the altitude of 5259 meters.
Gyatso La 嘉措拉山 is known as the “Gateway to Everest” because it is the pass between the Everest summits to reach the north slope. Yunnan Power Transmission and Transformation Network, the 500 kV transmission line pylons are part of the Ali network. The construction took more than 50 days from the excavation of foundation to the installation of the tower, the materials were all transported by horses, and the tower was set up by scaffolding. With a total length of 1689 kilometers. The line starts in Shigatse city in central Tibet and ends in Gar county in the Ali region. The average altitude is 4572 meters. It crosses the Yarlung Zangbo River three times and crosses over 5,000 meters of Kongtang Ram Mountain, Mayoumula Mountain. The line network consists of 66 towers, all situated above 5,000 meters above sea level. The environment is extremely harsh, with rocky hard pan, wind force reaching over 100 km/h, the temperature less than 20 degrees below zero, the thin atmosphere, makes it the most difficult section of the Ali network construction project.
The tower was originally scheduled for completion on 5-1 “Labor Day”. With unexpectedly heavy snowfall, operations were suspended. The erection was finally complete by 11:30 a.m. on the 2nd.
There were tens of thousands of workers involved in the construction, the overall project is now more than half completed. The main equipments delivered on-site, and more than 1,800 bases have been completed.
Part of the “13th Five-Year Plan” to develope the unified power grid in Tibet,the operation is scheduled for 2021, to serve Zhongba, Saga, Jilong, Neramu, Puran, Kheuze and Zuoqin and other seven counties in the Ali region and western Rikaze. It will eventually interconnect with the national main grid.
