Xuchang, Henan: Dedicated "Electricity Stewards" Help Enterprises Cut Costs and Boost Efficiency

“I just filled out an electricity application on the ‘Online State Grid’ app, and everything was done without a single visit in person. Getting electricity connected is really convenient now!” said Zhao Kui, manager of Mingjie Sanitary Ware Factory in Yulin Village, Houhe Town, Xuchang City, Henan Province, to Fan Quancheng, the local grid manager from Houhe Power Supply Station, who was conducting an inspection after officially connecting power to the factory on March 24.

Facing growing orders for bathroom cabinets, Zhao Kui had established another production line in the village. On the very day of receiving Zhao’s electricity application, Fan Quancheng evaluated the available capacity of nearby public transformer stations. Considering the factory’s location, required electrical capacity, and other relevant information, Fan quickly identified the closest accessible transformer station and arranged for official power connection that same afternoon.

Xuchang accounts for approximately 30% of China’s total sanitary ware production, making it Central China’s largest sanitary ware manufacturing region, with products exported to Europe, America, Australia, and East Asia. State Grid Xuchang Power Supply Company has implemented the policy of “zero in-person visits, zero approvals, and zero investments” for small and micro enterprises applying for low-voltage connections. On this basis, it has actively streamlined the electricity application process, fully supporting rapid power access for sanitary ware production.

“For small and micro enterprises requiring low-voltage connections, we reduced the procedure to just two steps: ‘application’ and ‘meter installation and power connection’. For standard 10 kV customers, the process was simplified to four steps: ‘application’, ‘power supply proposal response’, ‘external engineering implementation’, and ‘meter installation and power connection’,” explained Li Hailiang, Director of Marketing at the Changge Branch of Xuchang Power Supply Company. As a result, document requirements, processing steps, and overall processing time for electricity applications by small and micro enterprises across the city have been reduced by 43.1%, 33%, and 52.37%, respectively.

Notably, considering most sanitary ware factories typically require total power capacities not exceeding 160 kilowatts, Xuchang Power Supply Company proactively covered the investments for lines, transformers, and metering devices beyond asset demarcation points, ensuring these favorable policies truly benefit the customers.

Wang Weifeng was one beneficiary of the zero-investment electricity connection. Inspired by the booming local sanitary ware industry, Wang decisively resigned from his job outside town and returned home to start Yaoshun Smart Mirror Factory in 2024.

“The power connection was incredibly fast, and the local grid manager Lu Yushan personally collected our electricity application documents during the on-site survey,” Wang Weifeng recalled. “All expenses for equipment, including cables and meters from the transformer to our factory, were fully covered by the power company, saving us nearly 30,000 yuan in electricity setup costs.”

“Since last year, we’ve provided zero-cost power access for 39 sanitary ware factories, saving them a total of over 800,000 yuan in investments,” said Luo Tianning, director of Houhe Power Supply Station.

Such efficient and rapid electricity services have provided critical support for the accelerated upgrading of the sanitary ware industry, allowing enterprises to seize market opportunities promptly. In 2024, the sanitary ware industry in Xuchang achieved a total output value of 15 billion yuan, creating employment opportunities for around 100,000 people and becoming another significant economic driver—an iconic “golden brand” for Changge City’s development. (Jiao Yongsheng and Liu Nannan)