Self-developed 'power socket' accelerates distribution-network maintenance

On Aug 24, during the complete replacement of the Lyu Di Phase-IV switching station in Xuzhou, the State Grid Xuzhou Power Supply Company deployed a newly developed plug-and-play emergency supply cubicle at the cable joint. Within five minutes a fully-fledged bypass system was established, allowing the entire project to proceed without any outage or perceptible disturbance.

Traditionally, large-scale substation maintenance on single-source feeders required mobile generators to secure temporary power. In dense urban cores or residential quarters, however, access restrictions for heavy vehicles and the limited capacity of small gensets often made live-line work impossible, reducing supply reliability for surrounding customers.

To eliminate this bottleneck, the company independently designed a 10 kV live-line emergency supply cubicle. The unit integrates quick-coupling interfaces, a fully insulated load-break switch and a compact enclosure, creating a 10 kV rapid-tap system directly at cable joints. Once a mobile power source is synchronized to the network, the cubicle can be energized and operated continuously, effectively providing a "socket" wherever permanent cable terminations exist.

"After two years of design, refinement and pilot deployment, the device is now in service across Gulou, Yunlong and Quanshan districts and has been prioritized for inclusion in the provincial company's New Technology Promotion Catalogue," Yu Dingxin, level-5 service specialist at the Gulou Power Supply Service Center, said. Beyond cable maintenance, the cubicle is equally suited for flood-prevention support in underground substations and as a standby power interface in older residential complexes.