Tashi Nyima, an employee at State Grid's Lhasa Electric Power Company and a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) from Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region, has been at the forefront of the remarkable transformation of the region's power supply landscape over the past three decades.

Once a region with inadequate power supply due to limited coal and oil resources, Xizang has experienced a dramatic change thanks to "power supply highways" that traverse the snowy plateau. The power grid has become a new lifeline connecting the mountains and rivers in the region.

Tashi Nyima (right), an employee at State Grid's Lhasa Electric Power Company and a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress from Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region, works with his apprentice on live-line work. [Photo provided to npc.gov.cn]

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012, tens of thousands of power workers have helped develop electric power in Xizang, bringing reliable and ample power to the lives of residents there. Tashi Nyima is one of them in this endeavor.

Tashi Nyima routinely performs 10-kilovolt high-voltage live-line work, often burdened by over 10 kilograms of insulating equipment. "Live-line work is among the most dangerous and precise operations in power supply. The unique natural environment and climate conditions in high-altitude areas pose significant challenges," he said.

Over the years, Tashi Nyima has been tirelessly working on power supply safeguards, providing reliable services for the production and livelihoods of farmers and herdsmen in the region. He has become a witness, contributor and guardian of the "lines of light, happiness and security" in the autonomous region.

He used oil lamps in his childhood. Although there were electric lights at home when he was an elementary and middle school student, power outages remained a common inconvenience.

Tashi Nyima, an employee at State Grid's Lhasa Electric Power Company and a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress from Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region, checks the power supply facilities in operation. [Photo provided to npc.gov.cn]

He moved to Lhasa to study at a hydroelectric technical school in 1990. At the time, Lhasa's electricity supply mainly relied on the Najin Hydropower Station, the first hydropower plant in Xizang since the founding of the People's Republic of China.

"During the peak of electricity consumption in winter, we had to implement rotating power outages in different areas," Tashi Nyima recalled.

In 1993, he graduated and was assigned to work at the Najin Hydropower Station, responsible for the operation and maintenance of electricity generating units. He noted that Lhasa gradually overcame power shortages in the late 1990s. In 2005, he was reassigned to the urban distribution and repair team, responsible for repairing electrical faults for residents.

Throughout his career, Tashi Nyima has witnessed the rapid development of the power industry in Xizang. Since 2012, the region has completed the construction of four "power supply highways" and advanced a series of rural and urban grid projects, which have promoted economic development and won the hearts of local people.

Today, the quality of rural electricity services in Xizang continues to improve, with the reliability of power grids in rural areas steadily increasing, and living conditions for residents in border areas continuously improved.

"Thanks to the good policies of the Party, the lives of the people in Xizang have become brighter!" Tashi Nyima said.

Over the past 30 years, Tashi Nyima has remained steadfast in frontline power operations, participating in power supply safeguard work more than 1,500 times.

He understands the importance of training talent in live-line work, and has been mentoring apprentices to ensure each apprentice can master the skills safely and proficiently. He has trained dozens of apprentices, many of whom have become skilled technicians maintaining a record of "zero accidents" for several consecutive years.

In 2023, when he was elected as an NPC deputy, Tashi Nyima felt a great sense of responsibility. Upgrading and renovating rural power grids and promoting comprehensive rural vitalization have drawn much of his attention.

"Whether I'm working as an NPC deputy or a power supply worker, my duty to serve the people remains the same," he said. "Serving as an NPC deputy is also a technical task that requires down-to-earth efforts and continuous improvement."

During the first session of the 14th NPC in 2023, Tashi Nyima put forward suggestions regarding the planning and construction of rural power grids in pastoral areas and the comprehensive upgrading of power facilities. How to build a well-structured, safe, flexible and economically efficient rural power grid for the people of all ethnic groups in Xizang is high on the agenda of his duty performance as an NPC deputy.

To this end, he conducted research visits to communities, enterprises and key projects, inquiring about the difficulties that concern local residents. He said that although Xizang's power grid is undergoing rapid development, its construction and maintenance faces immense challenges due to vast geographical range and complex natural conditions in the region, with the overall foundation of rural power grids remaining weak.

Tashi Nyima, an employee at State Grid's Lhasa Electric Power Company and a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress from Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region, guides his apprentice in facility check. [Photo provided to npc.gov.cn]

During the second session of the 14th NPC in 2024, Tashi Nyima submitted suggestions on supporting Xizang in accelerating the development of backbone power grids and introducing policies for the development of microgrids in remote areas. His suggestions received responses from related departments, leaving him greatly encouraged.

"It is such a happy thing to be able to protect the light shining on this land", he said, pledging to continue improving his performance as an NPC deputy, embodying the craftsmanship and leading his team to explore innovation in urban energy installation and civilian power supply services.

Tashi Nyima, an employee at State Grid's Lhasa Electric Power Company and a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) from Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region,  attends a group meeting of the Xizang delegation at the second session of the 14th NPC in March 2024. [Photo provided to npc.gov.cn]

Gong Yi Xi and Wang Ling contributed to this story.