On August 4, stepping into the desert melon fields of Shoucheng Town, Minqin County in Wuwei City, one can see lush green foliage laden with plump fruits. As the core production zone of China’s Hometown of Melons, the area has entered its peak melon harvesting season. Round, juicy melons hang thick on vines, filling the air with sweet fruit fragrance. Picking and sorting in fields, loading and logistics at markets, as well as live-stream e-commerce sales are in full swing, presenting a bustling harvest scene everywhere.

Power staff inspect power lines in melon fields

(Photographed by Bao Xue)

During the peak melon harvest season, full-industry-chain facilities including intelligent irrigation systems, cold storage warehouses, sorting and packaging equipment, and live-stream export devices operate at full capacity, driving a sharp surge in agricultural power load across the region. To fully guarantee stable output and income growth of the characteristic industry, State Grid Wuwei Power Supply Company made advance arrangements and delivered proactive services. It dispatched power service teams to farmlands and trading markets to carry out special power guarantee inspections for the harvest, providing safe, stable and dependable electricity to fully underpin high-quality development of the melon industry in this desert township.

Minqin County lies on the 38th parallel north, the golden planting belt for fruits and melons, blessed with unique natural conditions that yield premium melons. The county boasts over 3,000 hours of annual sunshine and a diurnal temperature difference of more than 15 degrees Celsius. Watered by melted snow from the Qilian Mountains and grown in porous, fertile sandy soil, local melons maintain a consistent sugar content of 15% to 18%, featuring a refreshing sweet taste and superior quality.

Power staff inspect power lines in melon fields

(Photographed by Bao Xue)

In recent years, Minqin County has taken the melon industry as a pillar sector to increase farmers’ income and advance rural revitalization, continuously improving its industrial chain system to drive large-scale, standardized and branded development. As modern agriculture undergoes transformation and upgrading, industrial links such as seedling cultivation management, intelligent irrigation, cold chain warehousing and e-commerce live streaming have raised higher requirements for power supply stability and reliability. Dependable electricity has become a critical underpinning for the vigorous growth of characteristic industries.

Focusing on the critical power consumption period of the harvest, State Grid Wuwei Power Supply Company moved its service frontier forward and carried out power guarantee work on the front lines of the industry. Its staff visited large melon growers, purchasing merchants and live stream operators to accurately identify power consumption bottlenecks in production and listen to their electricity service demands.

Meanwhile, the company conducted full-coverage hazard inspections on distribution boxes, residual current protectors, low-voltage lines and other equipment in trading markets. It prioritized rectifying issues including aging power lines and non-standard wiring, assisted in eliminating hidden dangers on site, and prevented power faults at the source to ensure the orderly operation of the entire melon industrial chain covering irrigation, fresh-keeping and trading.

"Growing melons in the desert is no easy feat. We cannot do without electricity from sowing to harvest. Power supply technicians take the initiative to visit our fields and check power lines. Reliable electricity is our greatest guarantee for a bumper harvest," local melon farmers spoke highly of the service.

Apart from equipment inspection and defect elimination, the technicians delivered lectures on safe electricity use tailored to high-temperature summer conditions. They shared real cases to popularize power safety knowledge for agricultural production, guided farmers through hands-on training on troubleshooting minor power faults and emergency response measures, and informed them of repair reporting channels, effectively raising residents’ awareness of safe electricity use and self-rescue capabilities.

To address concentrated power consumption and high-load equipment operation during harvest season, the company optimized the operation and maintenance plan for power distribution stations, increased inspection frequency, and kept a 24-hour power repair reporting channel open, enabling rapid response to electricity service requests and timely elimination of hidden hazards.

Power employees stick to their posts amid sweltering heat, safeguarding stable grid operation through meticulous maintenance to fully guarantee uninterrupted power supply for the entire melon industrial chain.

Power staff inspect power lines in melon fields

(Photographed by Bao Xue)

Thriving industries start with reliable power, which empowers harvests and fuels rural revitalization. Going forward, State Grid Wuwei Power Supply Company will continue to focus on the development of local characteristic agriculture, keep close track of key farming production cycles, and deliver regular exclusive power guarantee services for agricultural sectors. It will further optimize rural power grids and improve the quality of power supply services. With steady and reliable electricity, the company will drive quality improvement and efficiency growth of Minqin’s melon industry, injecting robust power momentum into comprehensive rural revitalization.