BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Work on China Southern Power Grid's 24.25 billion yuan (3.59 billion U.S. dollars) Wudongde direct current project, the world's first multi-end flexible ultrahigh voltage direct current power transmission (UHVDC) project, is progressing steadily and expected to start operations by 2020, China Daily reported Friday.

When completed, the project is expected to bolster the clean energy requirements of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. In addition, it will transmit another 20 billion kWh of clean power every year from Yunnan Province and Guangxi to the Greater Bay Area. This will cut coal usage in the Greater Bay Area by about 6.31 million metric tons.

Power consumption in the Greater Bay Area stood at 520 billion kWh last year.

"It is a win-win situation for Yunnan Province and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region to tie up with the Greater Bay Area," the report quoted Zhang Yong, director of the power dispatch section of China Southern Power Grid Dispatching and Control Center.

"As both Yunnan and Guangxi have abundant water and wind resources to generate clean energy, and the Greater Bay Area has higher requirements for clean power projects, the projects will help foster economic growth in Guangxi and Yunnan," Zhang said.

The project spans 16 cities in south China, three power converter stations in Kunming of Yunnan Province, Liuzhou of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and Huizhou of Guangdong Province and power transmission lines traversing 1,452 kilometers.