China Southern Power Grid
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA Chinese state-owned electricity transmission and distribution company serving five southern provinces and autonomous regions.
Last updated October 9, 2026
Overview
China Southern Power Grid Company Limited, commonly known as China Southern Power Grid or CSG, is a Chinese state-owned electricity network operator headquartered in Guangzhou, Guangdong. It was established in 2002 during a restructuring of China's power sector directed by the State Council. The reform separated major grid operations from electricity generation and divided the national transmission and distribution system primarily between CSG and the State Grid Corporation of China. CSG is responsible for investing in, developing, constructing, operating and managing electricity transmission, transformation and distribution assets across Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou and Hainan. These five provincial-level markets form the company's core service territory. Its activities include high-voltage and extra-high-voltage transmission, substations, regional dispatching, distribution networks, electricity supply, customer service, power trading support, grid communications and related technical services. Electricity generation itself is generally carried out by separate generation companies rather than by the grid operator as its principal function. The company's territory contains major industrial, commercial and urban centers, including the Pearl River Delta, as well as areas with substantial hydropower and other renewable-energy resources. This gives CSG a significant role in balancing supply and demand across different provinces and in transferring electricity over long distances. Its network also connects resource-rich western areas with large demand centers in the south and supports the operation of regional power markets. CSG operates through provincial grid companies in Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou and Hainan, together with specialized entities covering power supply, extra-high-voltage transmission, technology research, international cooperation, finance and other functions. Guangzhou Power Supply Co., Ltd. and Shenzhen Power Supply Co., Ltd. are among the companies associated with its operating structure. The group also includes dispatching, communications, information and power-exchange-related units. CSG is overseen by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, making it a centrally administered state-owned enterprise. It is one of China's two principal national grid enterprises. According to the cited Wikipedia reference, CSG accounts for approximately one-fifth of China's electricity grid, while the State Grid Corporation of China operates the larger remainder. The company is not publicly listed and does not have a stock ticker. Its public-facing role is that of essential infrastructure provider: maintaining system reliability, expanding network capacity, facilitating electricity supply and supporting economic and social activity throughout southern China.
History
China Southern Power Grid emerged from China's early-2000s restructuring of the electricity industry. Before the reform, the power sector was organized through a more vertically integrated national system. The State Council subsequently introduced a structure intended to separate generation from grid operations and to create distinct large-scale grid enterprises. In 2002, China Southern Power Grid was established alongside the State Grid Corporation of China as one of the two principal state-owned electricity network companies created through that process. CSG was assigned responsibility for the transmission, transformation and distribution system covering Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou and Hainan. The arrangement gave the company a defined regional operating territory rather than responsibility for the whole country. Its headquarters were established in Guangzhou, the commercial and administrative center of Guangdong and one of the most important electricity-demand areas in southern China. The company's core mandate has been broader than simply moving electricity between power plants and customers. It invests in grid assets, plans and constructs transmission corridors and substations, manages dispatching, maintains distribution networks, supplies electricity to customers and supports the operation of electricity markets. The regional system links provinces with different economic structures and resource endowments. Guangdong and the Pearl River Delta have high industrial and urban demand, while Yunnan and Guizhou have important hydropower resources and other generation potential. Interprovincial transmission therefore forms a central part of CSG's operating role. Over time, the company developed a group structure built around provincial grid companies and specialist subsidiaries and branches. These include the Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou and Hainan power grid companies; Guangzhou and Shenzhen power supply companies; an extra-high-voltage transmission company; a power transmission company; technology research functions; dispatching and communications organizations; and units supporting finance, information, power exchanges and international cooperation. This structure allows CSG to manage the regional network while retaining specialized organizations for engineering, research, market operations and corporate services. CSG's position also reflects the geography of China's national power system. It operates alongside, rather than under, the State Grid Corporation of China, whose territory covers most of the rest of the country. The two companies together form the dominant state-owned grid structure created by the 2002 reform. The cited reference describes CSG as operating roughly 20 percent of China's grid and State Grid as operating the remaining approximately 80 percent, although the exact proportion may vary depending on the measure used. The company remains a centrally administered state-owned enterprise supervised by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council. Its principal public purpose is the reliable delivery of electricity and the long-term development of network infrastructure. CSG's history is consequently tied to China's broader electricity-market reforms, industrial expansion, urbanization, regional energy transfers and efforts to improve the coordination of transmission, distribution and power supply across southern provinces.
- 2002
China Southern Power Grid established
[1]China Southern Power Grid was created during a State Council-directed restructuring of China's power system, alongside the State Grid Corporation of China. It received responsibility for grid operations in Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou and Hainan.
Products and positioning
State-owned regional electricity grid operator and infrastructure provider for southern China.
Electricity transmission
Regional electricity transmission
CSG operates high-voltage and extra-high-voltage transmission infrastructure linking the five southern service provinces. The network moves electricity from generation areas to major demand centers and supports interprovincial balancing across a region with substantial differences in industrial demand and energy resources.
Electricity distribution
Power distribution and supply
Through provincial grid companies and urban power supply entities, CSG distributes electricity to residential, commercial, industrial and public-sector customers. This activity includes local network operation, maintenance, connections, customer service and the delivery of electricity within its assigned regional territory.
Grid infrastructure
Power transformation and substations
Transformation facilities and substations convert voltage levels and connect transmission assets with distribution networks. They are part of CSG's investment, construction and operating responsibilities and enable electricity to move safely and efficiently from long-distance transmission systems to local customers.
Grid operations
Grid dispatching and power-market support
CSG's dispatching, communications and power-exchange-related organizations coordinate system operations and support the matching of electricity supply with demand. These functions help manage network constraints, maintain reliability and facilitate electricity trading and regional power-system coordination.
Energy infrastructure services
Grid engineering and technology services
The group maintains specialist organizations for extra-high-voltage transmission, technology research, information systems and related engineering capabilities. These functions support network planning, construction, operational technology, communications and the ongoing modernization of the regional grid.
Controversies
2019
Former Chairman Li Qingkui Placed Under Two-Year Probation Within the Party for Serious Disciplinary and Legal Violations
In October 2019, Li Qingkui, former chairman of China Southern Power Grid, was placed under two years' probation within the Party, had his retirement benefits adjusted, and was ordered to disgorge his illicit gains after violations including misuse of official vehicles, improper promotion of cadres, and acceptance of property by himself and his family members. The entry does not characterize the disciplinary action as a criminal sentence.
Recent events
- 2002
China's power-sector restructuring creates China Southern Power Grid[4]
Other
China established China Southern Power Grid as part of a national electricity-sector restructuring that separated power generation from grid operation and assigned regional grid responsibilities.
China Southern Power Grid publishes its corporate and sustainability information[4]
Other
The company's official website provides information on its grid operations, corporate governance, major projects, energy transition activities and social-responsibility work.
Sources4 sources
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