“The temperature keeps falling, and equipment behavior is changing by the hour. Examine every detail—no omission is acceptable—so we can rule out any safety hazard.”
On 8 December, inside the 110 kV Xihua substation, frontline crews from State Grid Zhoukou Power Supply Company’s Xihua County branch are conducting a full-coverage inspection, determined to keep every grid asset secure.
Since winter set in, wave after wave of cold air has swept the province. State Grid Zhoukou Power Supply Company has unswervingly shouldered its primary responsibility—safeguarding electricity supply—and placed residential demand at the top of its agenda. The company is pushing ahead with an all-out winter-peaking program to guarantee both grid stability and reliable power. Field maintenance teams remain at their posts through snow, sleet and glaze, patrolling critical lines and equipment, prioritising power to heating enterprises and continuously raising service quality so that every household can stay warm.
Multi-pronged measures to protect “coal-to-electricity” customers
With the temperature in December continued to drop, the Xihua County branch has launched a special service campaign focused on the winter needs of “coal-to-electricity” users.
To cope with the seasonal load spike, an elaborate contingency plan has been drawn up, professional emergency repair units formed, and ample spare parts and equipment stockpiled. Technical training and live drills are intensified to speed up fault recovery.
On the infrastructure side, a blanket inspection is under way on every “coal-to-electricity” feeder and transformer. Ageing lines are replaced on the spot; transformers undergo comprehensive testing and maintenance, pushing reliability upward. Patrol frequency is increased and dedicated staff assigned to eliminate latent defects in real time.
Customer care is equally targeted: exclusive service files are created for each “coal-to-electricity” household, mapping individual load profiles and needs. Teams visit communities and homes to check wiring, stamp out illegal taps and appliance overloads, and run safety corrections. Online and offline channels are used to publicise winter-safe and energy-saving tips, raising users’ awareness of responsible electricity use.
Grid-based service keeps the public warm
On 8 December, Shenqiu County branch “grid stewards” joined local heating-company technicians to examine heat-supply installations. During the check they discovered that the C-phase lead-in wire inside a neighbourhood heat-exchange station panel had suffered heat-induced insulation breakdown after long operation; bare aluminium conductor was exposed. The defect carried risks of short-circuit, electric shock and, worse, an outright station shutdown that would leave nearly 2 000 homes without heat.
“This hazard must be fixed immediately—no waiting,” the crew declared. On-site guidance was given, every wire in the cabinet was re-tested for insulation and tightness, and the threat was eradicated.
“Thanks to your prompt inspection the heating is safe. A shutdown would have been a nightmare,” the estate manager said gratefully.
To hold the “warmth baseline,” Shenqiu County branch grid stewards now embed themselves at heating sites, carrying out meticulous checks of power supplies and distribution lines. A joint “special patrol + power inspection + emergency repair” force has been set up; both grid status and heating-equipment health are placed on a priority watch list, ensuring that winter power for every heating enterprise is fail-safe and that the city is firmly insulated against the cold.(By Guo Lili/Han Dongwei/Xu Haoran)