China's first ultra-high voltage direct current power transmission line began operating Thursday, linking eight provinces from Xiangjiaba in Sichuan province to Shanghai city, the Shanghai city government said on its official website.

The 800-kilowatt UHV direct current line is 1,907 kilometers long and could bring 35 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity to Shanghai city every year, about 39% of the city's total power consumption.

China 's power distribution monopoly State Grid Corp. started construction on the project in December 2008.

The company plans to complete another 800-kilowatt UHV direct current line from Jinping in Sichuan province to Sunan in Jiangsu province in 2012.

State Grid brought a UHV alternating current power transmission line online in January 2009, stretching from Shanxi province to Hubei province.

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