{
  "id": 19679,
  "title": "China hopes to banish blackouts as quantum tech puts power grid in superposition",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/01/china-hopes-to-banish-blackouts-as-quantum-tech-puts-power-grid-in",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-01T07:00:13.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Reuters Business via SCMP",
    "slug": "reuters-business-via-scmp",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3362629/china-hopes-banish-blackouts-quantum-tech-puts-power-grid-superposition"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "China aims to eliminate power grid blackouts by harnessing the potential of quantum technology. This includes deploying precision sensors and computer simulations to bolster the grid's resilience. Following a successful 18-month trial at a substation in Hefei, Anhui province, officials believe quantum technology can rapidly detect and diagnose equipment defects and faults within the power system. Quantum technology exploits the physics of individual atoms, allowing them to exist in multiple states (superposition) until measured. This enables precise measurement, computing, and communication of data. Although still transitioning from research to real-world applications, quantum technology offers significant advantages in terms of precision, speed, and security. Tian Teng, a researcher with Anhui Electric Power Company, emphasized that the trial proved quantum technology is not a mere \"showpiece\" but a \"hard support\" for ensuring power supply and promoting development. The Hefei facility, officially commissioned in November 2024, integrated three domains of quantum technology: measurement, communication, and computing. The project is seen as a \"landmark integration\" of the new-type power grid with cutting-edge quantum technology, marking the first systematic application of quantum tech to power grid engineering. Quantum sensors monitor minute changes in temperature and humidity in real time, detecting weak partial electrical discharges that cause equipment damage and blackouts. They also track electricity flow through power lines, pinpointing fault locations swiftly. Quantum technology is also applied to locate cracks in ferromagnetic materials and spot fire hazards. Quantum encryption devices protect fibre-optic links and 5G communications, enhancing security. The facility also uses quantum computing to model potential operational states of the grid, leveraging China's third-generation superconducting quantum computer, Origin Wukong, for simulation and verification. Quantum precision measurement technology allows the substation to reduce electricity measurement errors by over 500,000 kilowatt-hours annually, improving reliability and efficiency. Researchers are developing new quantum applications, such as an early gas leak detection tool. Despite power shortages and blackouts in parts of China in 2020, 2021, and 2022, driven by factors like high demand, coal supply constraints, and hot weather, this quantum-driven initiative promises to enhance the power system's real-time analysis and computation capacity.",
  "summary": "China plans to expand the application of quantum technologies – including precision sensors and computer simulations – across its power grid to help prevent blackouts. The push follows a successful trial at a substation in Hefei, Anhui province. During the 18-month trial, quantum technology was used to rapidly detect and diagnose equipment defects and faults in the power system, according to a…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Reuters Business via SCMP",
        "title": "As China’s catch-up era ends, what’s standing in the way of tech innovation?",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/01/as-chinas-catch-up-era-ends-whats-standing-in-the-way-of-tech",
        "published": "2026-08-01T10:00:12.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}