State Grid Xiaogan Power Supply Company: Guarding the High-Speed Rail "Lifeline" in Ice and Snow

At 5:30 a.m. on January 1, 2026, the engine of an off-road vehicle roared in the low temperatures on the steep, winding mountain road in the Bijia Mountain area of Xiaochang County. Veteran driver Zhang Xianqing gripped the steering wheel tightly, while Squad Leader Liu Jidong in the passenger seat checked the hourly ice accretion reports from the transmission centralized monitoring center. Dozens of kilometers away, trains on the Beijing-Guangzhou High-Speed Railway were racing along, carrying passengers eager to reunite with their families.

"Tower No. 72, ice accretion has reached 1.9 millimeters and still increasing." Real-time data kept streaming in from the monitoring center. However, as a young key employee who had experienced the emergency repairs during the ice disaster on the Xiaofeng Line, Liu Jidong knew that only on-site inspection could reveal the real conditions. Accurate identification of potential hazards was essential to ensuring the safe and stable operation of the power grid under extreme weather.

The road ahead was completely covered with ice and snow, and the vehicle began to skid. "The car can't go any further—we'll walk. If the power supply to the high-speed rail is interrupted even briefly, the consequences would be severe," Liu Jidong said as he jumped out of the vehicle. Young employee Li Guanghuan followed closely behind. One after the other, they pressed forward through the ice and snow toward the transmission tower, their steps firm despite the harsh conditions.

Power workers conduct line inspections amid wind and snow

 Photo by Guo Bing

While Liu Jidong and Li Guanghuan struggled through the mountain wind corridor of Bijia Mountain, three other ice-observation teams were simultaneously deployed in the microclimate zones of Jieling Mountain, Xianjuding, and Dawu Mountain. Their shared goal was clear: to ensure the stable delivery of every kilowatt-hour of electricity across the Xiaogan power grid and keep every train filled with hopes of reunion running safely at high speed. During the New Year holiday, thanks to the dedication of power workers, all transmission lines in Xiaogan achieved "zero flickering, zero faults, and zero tripping." (Text by Du Yuan and Guo Bing)