State Grid Changzhou Power Supply Company advances 'gas-to-electricity' transformation for catering industry

On May 17, on Jianban Road in Lijia town, Wujin district, Changzhou city, Jiangsu Province, the State Grid Changzhou Power Supply Company is working to support the "gas-to-electricity" transformation for the catering businesses along Old Street. The plan involves installing two distribution transformers to increase the power capacity by 800 kVA, meeting the electricity demands of 20 catering businesses.

Many street-side catering businesses in Changzhou rely on bottled liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). The aging and frequent malfunctions of these steel cylinders pose significant safety issues. "Particularly for many small establishments, their kitchens lack natural ventilation, presenting fire safety risks. Replacing gas with electricity can reduce safety risks at the source," said Bian Mingcheng, Assistant Engineer of the Jintan District Fire and Rescue Brigade in Changzhou City.

The State Grid Changzhou Power Supply Company has introduced several measures to benefit the public, including streamlining the application process, funding the construction of external power line facilities, providing technical support for internal equipment upgrades, and offering new catering businesses assistance and agency services for safe electricity use. Additionally, efforts have been made to advocate for government policies and subsidies to expedite the replacement of bottled LPG and gas with pipeline natural gas and electricity in non-residential areas across the city, in line with local conditions.
"We are constructing supporting grid projects at a faster pace to meet the demand for the 'gas-to-electricity' transformation, while ensuring that low-voltage customers with power needs of 200 kW or less incur no costs for external connections. During on-site inspections, technicians can help catering businesses identify the power supply entity, calculate the necessary power capacity, and guide them through the relevant application processes," said Zhuang Yufeng, Deputy Director of the Marketing Service Center of the State Grid Changzhou Power Supply Company. To date, the company has assisted approximately 1,300 businesses in replacing gas with electricity, including 623 low-voltage capacity expansion requests, with each power capacity increasing on average threefold.