URUMQI — The State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) will invest 82.6 billion yuan ($12.8 billion) to improve the power grid in the northwestern Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

According to an agreement signed by the SGCC and the regional government on Friday, power transmission projects featuring extra-high voltage will be built to lift Xinjiang's outbound power transmitting capacity to 25 million kilowatts by the end of 2020.

In addition, 22.4 billion yuan will be used to upgrade power networks in rural areas, so that poverty-stricken areas have access to electricity. By the end of 2019, all poor villages in the region will have improved power networks.

The SGCC will employ Xinjiang residents in a variety of jobs from 2017 to 2020, while the regional government will give no less than 90 million yuan per year to support the building of the local power grid.