Sinomania!

An amendment to China's renewable energy law puts the regulations under direct central government control. The amendment also strengthens the requirement of power companies to connect renewable energy producers to electricity grids.

As the first decade of the 21st Century comes to a close China now has the world's largest electricity transmission network at 375,000 kil0meters or over 233,000 miles of transmission lines. And there are big developments ahead. Throughout the nation China's utilities plan to install 150 billion smart meters to allow greater flexibility in rate pricing.

State Grid, the 15th biggest company in the world according to Fortune magazine, sold 20 billion Yuan (just under $3 billion US dollars) worth of 7 and 10 year corporate bonds on Christmas Eve. The money raised will be used in part to build an ultra-high voltage transmission line from Fulong, Sichuan, near the Xiangjiaba hydroelectric dam to a high voltage AC station at Nanhui, Shanghai. And State Grid may partner with Duke Energy to build transmission lines in the USA....