URUMQI, June 25 (Xinhua) -- A 750-kilovolt power transmission and transformation project in China's northwest Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region was put into operation Monday, according to the operator.

With a total investment of 3.6 billion yuan (523 million U.S. dollars), the power grid runs for 726 kilometers and covers four poverty-stricken

southern prefectures.

The network is to strengthen grid construction and improve the reliability of power supply in southern Xinjiang, helping the region attract enterprises and promote local economic and social development.

Millions of people in the Tarim Basin will benefit from the project, said Fu Hailong, director of the power dispatching control center of Hotan power supply company, noting the power supply capacity will be increased by nearly 87 percent in Hotan.

The projects will provide a stable power supply for the electric heating in southern Xinjiang and help 316,000 households utilize clean heating in the winter.