At midnight on October 23, while everyone was fast asleep, near a group of ring main units in Xinli community, Pingluo county, Shizuishan city, a team of 18 fully armed construction workers gathered to replace two groups of old ring main units in the community.

"Is everyone clear about the potential risks of this operation? The temperature is low tonight, making construction at night is quite challenging. In particular, working at midnight can easily lead to fatigue among the staff. We must closely cooperate and pay attention to safety when carrying out construction operations. Now, we are ready to start construction." With the order of the person in charge of the site, the "midnight operation" quietly began on this starry cold night.

Recently, as temperatures gradually decreased, residential power consumption has steadily increased. To ensure stable electricity supply for residents during winter, the State Grid Shizuishan Power Supply Company seized the golden opportunity during the construction period in October to carry out the midnight operation. This involved replacing outdated power equipment, such as ring main cabinets and cables, in old residential areas of the county. These devices, having operated for a long time, are aging, lacks automation functions, and cannot meet users' demands for high reliability in electricity consumption. By doing so, the company aimed to minimize the impact on daily production and living electricity consumption for residents and merchants in the community, ensuring that residents were not affected by power outages.

At 1:00 am, the construction workers prepared vehicles, machinery and operation materials, and placed warning signs, safety fences, hung grounding wires, and arranged a series of safety measures under the illumination of searchlights and bright flashlights. Following this, a special "night operation" commenced. At the construction site, the staff worked closely to overcome adverse factors such as low temperature, poor lighting, fatigue from night operations and high safety risks. The on-site person in charge carefully monitored and conducted the construction work in an orderly manner.

"Aim at the position, move a little to the left, OK, in place!" With the full cooperation of the on-site construction personnel, the brand-new ring main unit was accurately placed at the predetermined position. At this time, the outdoor temperature was negative 1℃, accompanied by chilly midnight air which made it difficult for staff to handle the equipment. However, they strictly adhered to the operating procedures, and meticulously completed each step. The site was busy, yet orderly.

"Direct the light to the work area, and pay attention to the safety of your steps..." At the construction site, the person in charge kept a close eye on every detail and from time to time issued reminders to the operators. Although the "midnight operation" minimized the impact of power outages, it also imposed greater responsibilities on all construction personnel.

"One, two, three, pull" With the deep commands, the cable was gradually pulled out of the cable trench and laid on the road. The construction personnel, working in perfect coordination, skillfully completed the fabrication of cable terminals, conducted cable tests one by one, and connected them to the ring main unit... Time ticked away, minute by minute and at 6 a.m. as dawn began to break, the operation was completed, and all equipment were returned to its normal operating mode. After six hours of hard work, the "midnight operation" was successfully completed.

"This is the fifth midnight construction operation in Pingluo this month. Each construction operation brings sleepless nights, but each time, we ensure the smooth completion of the task without the user's awareness," said Liu Zhixiang, the person in charge of the work, as he looked at the slowly brightening horizon.

Up until now, the Shizuishan Power Supply Company of the State Grid has upgraded the supporting infrastructure of power supply in 16 old residential areas through "midnight operations", replacing 15 ring network cabinets, 128 sets of cable terminals, and 22 old cables. The upgraded power supply equipment has not only beautified and improved the residential environment but also significantly enhanced the reliability of power supply in old residential areas. Subsequently, customers' sense of access to electricity, happiness and security will also be significantly enhanced.