The severe shortage of electricity is hindering the development of the national economy. The experience of countries around the world shows that the development speed of electricity production should be higher than that of other sectors in order to promote the coordinated development of the national economy.

If we compare China's economic development to the "body", then the construction of power engineering is undoubtedly the "bones" that support the flexible movement of the body. The continuous advancement of power engineering construction is like providing unlimited energy to the muscles and bones, and abundant energy supply is a powerful guarantee for the effective operation of various bodily functions.

In 2012, due to the slow recovery of the world economy and the impact of domestic macroeconomic regulation, China's economic growth continued to slow down. The annual gross domestic product was 5193.22 billion yuan, an increase of 7.8% compared to the previous year at comparable prices. Since 2000, the speed of electricity consumption and production in China has been higher than the GDP growth rate, which has led to a long-term elasticity coefficient of electricity (production, consumption) greater than 1. Therefore, the energy consumption per unit of GDP has been difficult to reduce, indicating a strong momentum in China's electricity consumption.

During the 12th Five Year Plan period, the investment in the national power industry will reach 5.3 trillion yuan, an increase of 68% compared to the 11th Five Year Plan. In terms of power engineering construction, the investment in power supply in the 12th Five Year Plan is about 2.75 trillion yuan, accounting for 52% of the total power investment. In 2015, the installed power generation capacity in China will reach around 1.437 billion kilowatts, with an average annual growth rate of 8.5%. Among them, hydropower has 284 million kilowatts, pumped storage has 41 million kilowatts, coal-fired power has 933 million kilowatts, nuclear power has 43 million kilowatts, natural gas power has 30 million kilowatts, wind power has 100 million kilowatts, solar power has 2 million kilowatts, biomass power and others have 3 million kilowatts.

In terms of power grid construction, the 12th Five Year Plan plans to invest approximately 2.55 trillion yuan in the power grid, accounting for 48% of the total power investment. In 2015, the country will form a "three vertical and three horizontal" main grid structure with the North China, East China, and Central China ultra-high voltage power grids as the core. The Ximeng, Mengxi, Zhangbei, and Shaanbei energy bases transmit electricity to North China, East China, and Central China through three vertical ultra-high voltage AC channels, while the northern coal-fired power and southwestern hydroelectric power transmit electricity to North China, Central China, and the Yangtze River Delta ultra-high voltage ring network through three horizontal ultra-high voltage AC channels.

The rapid development and reasonable construction structure of power engineering have provided strong guarantees for China's economic development, and the robust "backbone" has promoted the good and fast development of China's national economy.