Dear Readers,

2017 was a very dynamic year, both in terms of technology and business.

If we talk about technological advancements, a development that stands out is definitely the news about successful testing of the 1,100 kV DC converter transformers at Siemens and ABB. Both transformers were developed and manufactured for the sending and receiving stations of the Changji-Guquan UHVDC link in China, which will be able to transmit 12 GW of electricity over the distance of 3,284 kilometres from Xinjiang region in the Northwest to Anhui province in the east – a project worth $10 billion. Transformers Magazine has been following the progress of this project, reporting regularly on new developments, and I have been honoured to personally see the production of one of the first units to be installed at the Changji sending station, considering how advanced and complex these units are. Interestingly enough, while most economies would be looking at ways to maximally use the new, recently developed technology, the Chinese are already contemplating how to advance to 1,500 kV DC! This is the mentality of growth which is also behind the efforts to develop the Internet of Things, which we also wrote about in our earlier editions (see the Interview with Zhou Xiong in Vol 3, Issue 1).