LHASA - A new power transmission line set to become operational on China's Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is expected to ease power shortages in Tibet's capital Lhasa this winter.

The 1,774-km line, running from Xining, capital of the northwestern Qinghai province, to Lhasa, will start operation before the end of next month, a year ahead of schedule, said Liu Xiaoming, general manager of Tibet Electric Power Company Limited, Wednesday.

The power transmission line is part of the 13.9-billion-yuan ($2.2 billion) Qinghai-Tibet power grid interconnection project launched last summer.

The project, designed to connect the isolated electricity network in the Tibet autonomous region with the rest of the country to help the region meet its power demand, consists of transmission lines from Xining to Golmud, and Golmud to Lhasa, as well as a wide range of power grid facilities in Tibet.

According to statistics provided by the Tibet branch of the State Grid, the region's annual power consumption is about 1.6 billion kilowatt-hours and mostly relies on hydroelectric power sources.

In cold low-water seasons, however, power supply often falls short of demand by 30 percent, and blackouts are imposed every winter, said Liu.

The new power grid project is expected to fill the gap, providing 4 billion kwh to the region annually, he said, adding that "Lhasa residents will hopefully suffer no more blackouts this winter."

By the end of 2015, he said Tibet's installed power generation capacity will hit 2.6 million kilowatts, more than twice the 2010 volume.