A 500-kilovolt-power line, an artery passage for the Three Gorges electricity transmission linking Yichang in central China and Shanghai, was restored yesterday after being severed for 37 days.

The power line, which links China's business hub and Yichang, a city in central Hubei Province where the Three Gorges project is located, was functioning on Thursday after breaking down on January 17, according to the Anhui Provicial Power Grid Company.

Restoration of the 435-kilometer line in Anhui will promote power supply and ensure the smooth operation of the economy in country's east, one of China's most dynamic areas, said Yan Shaojun, the company's deputy general manager.

The eastern Anhui Province, one of the worst-hit in the snow disaster, is between Hubei and Shanghai.

In total, four towers collapsed and a 3.6-km line was badly destroyed in breakdown. If not restored in time, transmission from the Three Gorges to east China would be seriously affected.

The Disaster Relief and Emergency Command Center under the State Council said on Monday the State Grid Corporation of China and China Southern Power Grid should expedite efforts to get the electricity back on for all snow-stricken regions by the end of March.

The restoration has reached a challenging stage since the remaining damage is mostly located in remote mountainous areas.

The severe winter weather, the worst in five decades, killed 129 people and caused 111.1 billion yuan (US$15.54 billion) in direct economic loss. In all, 21 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities were affected.

(Xinhua News Agency February 24, 2008)