2016 Global Energy Interconnection Conference Opens in Beijing

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SGCC Chairman Liu Zhenya opened the conference with a welcome and a keynote speech - "Building Global Energy Interconnection to Step Forward to a New Era of Sustainable Future". Other guest speakers included Fatih Birol, IEA Executive Director; Sanjay Kumar, Climate Parliament Executive Director; Frans Vreeswijk, CEO and General Secretary of IEC; Bruce Kraemer, President of IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA); Lawrence E. Jones, Vice President of International Programs of Edison Electric Institute; Roberto Jaguaribe, Ambassador of Brazil to China; Joao Vasconcelos, Secretary of State for Industry of Portugal; Peter B. Littlewood, Director of Argonne National Laboratory, Professor Friedrich Prinz from Stanford University, Roman Berdnikov, First Deputy Director General of Rosseti; Claudio Facchin, President of the Power Grids Division of ABB Ltd.; Yang Kun, Executive president of China Electricity Council; Liu Jizhen, Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering and President of North China Electric Power University; and Nan Cunhui, Chairman & CEO of CHINT Group. All guest speakers spoke highly of GEI, believed that the conditions are ready for the construction of GEI, encouraged closer collaboration among all relevant parties and to jointly promote the development of GEI.

Liu Zhenya believes that the global energy development has been facing three main challenges: resource constraints, environmental pollution and climate change. And building GEI is the ultimate solution we have. Its unique model of GEI - "Smart Grid + UHV Grid + Clean Energy" provides the only path to a green, low-carbon, economical, efficient, and an open energy system with sustainable supply. This inevitable path for the sustainable development of humanity bears economic, social and environmental significance. Liu said that the intensive development of clean energy and distributed electricity generation, cross-country and cross-continent grid interconnection that can enable globalized energy generation, allocation and trade are key to the realization of GEI. It is also important to build a platform that is capable of hosting electricity transmission, resource allocation, electricity trade, information exchange and the provision of smart services. Such platform will drive the replacement of coal, oil and gas with electricity. Liu argued that the construction of GEI should be a common goal for the world. He proposed to act on our common interest, all countries need to work together and create a favorable environment for making new breakthroughs in innovation and the development of major demonstration projects for GEI.

Wu Hongbo, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations, reiterated in his speech that the UN had always regarded GEI the most pressing task to combat global climate change, promote sustainable development and ultimately, contribute to world peace. He said, to realize the goal that was set out in the Paris Agreement, governments should speed up the formation of a new blueprint for the world energy development, and fundamentally solve the challenges we face in relation to energy security and climate change through the utilization of clean energy. To this end, the UN will actively support and promote GEI as a major solution to energy transformation, the realization of clean development and combating climate change. It will also proactively call on the support of related parties to jointly promote an innovation-driven GEI.

Li Yining, Honorary Dean and professor of Guanghua School of Management of Peking University, stated in his speech that GEI provided a feasible, pragmatic and systematic solution to developing a low-carbon economy and realizing energy reform and transformation. GEI enables continuous economic growth and low-carbon economy to co-exist, making sustainable economic and social development possible. China is at the critical stage of transitioning from traditional energy to new energy. Building energy interconnection in China will be an important driving force to promote structural reform on the supply side, foster and cultivate new energies, and speed up new economy development, achieving both near-term and long-term benefits. In response to the global calling to an innovative and coordinated approach to a green, open and sharing society, GEI signifies a major innovative breakthrough in science and technology for the energy development strategy in the 21st century.

At the conference, SGCC, Korea Electric Power Corporation, SoftBank Group Corp., and Public Joint Stock Company Rosseti signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Joint Promotion of an Interconnected Electric Power Grid Spanning Northeast Asia. In addition, the Report on Wind Power Resource Development Research in the North Pole and the Research Report on Global Energy Interconnection were published. Panel discussions were focused on six areas in relation to over 300 research papers exchanged among the attending representatives, including Energy Development Strategy, Policy and Economy, Ultra High Voltage Transmission and Power Grid Interconnection, Energy Storage Technology and Application, Renewable Energy for Electricity and Industry, Smart Grid Technology and Engineering Practices, and Electricity Replacement and Electric Vehicles.

Panelists actively engaged in discussions around the vision and planning of GEI. This high-level international gathering has received appraisals from representatives. As the first international conference for promoting GEI around the world, it is a milestone for pushing forward this initiative, creating a new momentum for the world's clean and low-carbon energy development, and opening a new chapter for the sustainable development of humanity.

About State Grid Corporation of China

State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) was established as a state-owned enterprise on December 29, 2002. It has been rated as an A-class enterprise by SASAC evaluation on operation performances for 9 consecutive years. As the largest utility in the world, SGCC ranked 7th on Fortune Global 500 for 5 consecutive years.

SGCC constructs and operates power grids as its core business, to provide safer, cleaner, and more economic and sustainable power supply. As a super-large state-owned enterprise crucial to national energy security and economic lifeline, SGCC operates as a group with 200 billion yuan registered capital, serves 1.1 billion people in 26 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, covering 88% of the national territory. SGCC also operates overseas business in the Philippines, Brazil, Portugal and Australia, etc. with good performance.

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SOURCE State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC)