International Forum for Energy Transition 2021 Held in Beijing

The International Forum for Energy Transition 2021 was held in Beijing on September 9. The forum was co-hosted by State Grid Corporation of China and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), in collaboration with World Economic Forum. On the theme of "A pathway towards carbon neutrality and sustainable energy future", the forum aimed to discuss measures to address challenges of climate change, find ways for green development of global energy and electricity, promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, and create a better future of sustainable development.

Klaus Schwab, Executive Chairman and founder of the World Economic Forum, and Francesco La Camera, Director-General of the IRENA, delivered speeches respectively. Xin Bao'an, Executive Chairman of State Grid and President of China Electricity Council, addressed the forum and delivered a keynote speech. Peng Huagang, Secretary-General of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC), Guo Zhi, General Economist of National Energy Administration, Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All, Mohamed Shaker, Egyptian Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, Angela Wilkinson, Secretary-General of the World Energy Council, Paulo Estivallet de Mesquita, Ambassador of Brazil to China, Amani Abou-Zeid, African Union Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, Siyabonga Cwele, Ambassador of South Africa to China, Nasrul Hamid, Bangladesh State Minister of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, and Luis Schmidt Montes, Ambassador of Chile to China, delivered theme speeches. Pang Xiaogang, Executive Vice President of State Grid, presided over the forum.

Attendees of the forum included heads of relevant departments of National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, representatives of 8 government departments, 39 ambassadors and diplomatic envoys to China, heads of 16 well-known international organizations, principals of 25 domestic and foreign energy and electric power enterprises and industry associations, representatives of world-renowned research institutions, senior executives, and well-known experts and scholars.

Schwab, on behalf of the World Economic Forum, congratulated on the convening of the forum. He said that tackling the crisis of global climate change and promoting energy transition was one of the most urgent tasks, which required concerted action by all parties. State Grid had played a leading role in promoting technological innovation, increasing investment with persistent efforts, and gearing up the development of new energy. It had accumulated valuable experience, which was worth promoting and learning from. The World Economic Forum was committed to advocating global cooperation and was ready to work with State Grid to bring together all parties to promote the global energy transition and sustainable development.

Carmela noted that State Grid operates the world's largest power system and has always been at the forefront of global clean and low-carbon energy development, which boosted confidence in its peers around the world. IRENA is committed to achieving its renewable energy goals in line with the Paris Agreement, and looking forward to more extensive and in-depth cooperation with State Grid and other stakeholders to enhance resilience and inclusiveness, and to promote economic prosperity and human progress.

Peng Huagang pointed out that in recent years, central SOEs have made great efforts to promote clean and low-carbon energy development and achieved many results. SASAC would guide central SOEs to focus on structural adjustment and optimization as well as low-carbon energy development, to strengthen and accelerate a well-planned development of green industrial structure and production mode, to build a clean, low-carbon, safe and efficient energy system, to establish a green recycling industrial system, to enhance the innovation and application of green technologies, and to establish a sophisticated mechanism for carbon emission management, so as to ensure that the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals were achieved as scheduled.

Guo Zhi, on behalf of the National Energy Administration, congratulated on the opening of this forum. He said that during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, China accelerated the transition of its energy consumption towards clean and low-carbon development, optimized its energy supply structure with higher quality, greatly improved its technology and equipment, and its green energy achievements benefited the people greatly. For the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the National Energy Administration would focus on its strategic tasks, strengthen policy making, support State Grid to promote cooperation with other countries in smart grid, smart energy, connectivity and other areas, and to advance the building of a clean, low-carbon, safe and efficient energy system.

A Wind and Solar Energy Storage and Transmission Demonstration Project in China

Xin Bao'an made a keynote speech on the forum entitled "Build a Power System Based on New Energy for Green Development". He said that at the 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Chinese President Xi Jinping made a solemn commitment to the international community on carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. This demonstrated China's confidence and determination to pursue green development, and highlighted China's strong sense of building a community with a shared future for mankind and its undertaking as a responsible major country. In March this year, President Xi Jinping proposed to build a new power system based on new energy, which set the direction for the transformation and upgrading of China's power system and provided Chinese wisdom and solutions for the sustainable development of global power system. State Grid took as its major strategic tasks to build a new power system and make contributions to the goals of Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutrality, and issued its action plan for fulfilling the tasks. State Grid introduced a series of practical measures to be a facilitator, leader and pioneer of the energy transition. In the next five years, State Grid would invest US $350 billion in transformation and upgrading of its power grids.

Xin Bao'an pointed out that as countries were more pragmatic and effective in pushing on carbon emission reduction, the pace of clean energy transition had accelerated significantly, and the promotion of carbon neutrality would fundamentally reshape the energy system. First, the energy supply structure would undergo profound readjustment, and renewable energy, especially new energy, would be developed and utilized on a large scale. Second, there would be profound changes in the way energy was used, and would be more diversified, individualized, integrated, and interactive. Third, energy technology and equipment would achieve a leapfrog upgrade, which needed to make breakthroughs in key technologies and promote the integrated development of digital and energy technologies. Fourth, the energy industry would bring forth vigor and vitality, with the emergence of a large number of new businesses, forms and models, and more new market players. Fifth, the energy governance system would be systematically optimized to promote reform and readjustment of the energy governance system and the mode of governance.

10 GW wind farm in Hami, Xinjiang

Xin Bao'an pointed out that power sector is key to energy transition. With the acceleration in action for climate goals and deepening of energy transition, it became more urgent to speed up the building of a new power system. The new power system should take the new energy as its main supply and a strong smart grid as its hub platform, supported by source-grid-load-storage interaction and mutual complementary support of multiple energies, and characterized by clean and low-carbon, safe and controllable, flexible and efficient, smart and friendly, open and interactive. It would have more powerful functional features as follows: first, it could effectively solve the problem of grid connection and consumption of large-scale new energy generation; second, it could effectively realize flexible access and "plug and play" of new electric facilities; third, it could effectively support the efficient and coordinated interaction of all links between source, grid, load and storage; fourth, it could enhance the mutual complement and support between power system and other energy systems. Building of the new power system should focus on the four areas, i.e. putting safety first, sticking to innovation, following policy guidance, and strengthening cooperation.

Zhejiang Tianhuangping pumped storage power station.

Xin Bao'an said that State Grid was looking forward to working together with its peers from all over the world with unremitting efforts to speed up the transition for a better world. He shared three cases. First, innovation in the mode of power grid development. A total of 27 world-leading UHV transmission projects had been completed, with an inter-provincial and inter-regional transmission capacity of 230 GW. The world's first ±500 kV Zhangbei VSC-HVDC project with grid characteristics had been completed, helping to achieve all-green power supply for the Beijing Winter Olympics. The world's largest "new energy cloud" platform had been built, connecting 2 million new energy plants with an installed capacity of 480 GW. Second, greater regulation capacity of the power system. In State Grid's business area, there are 28 pumped storage power stations in operation, with an installed capacity of 23.41 GW, and another 35 stations under construction with an installed capacity of 48.53 GW, while striving to reach 100 GW by 2030. A large-scale friendly interaction system among source, grid, load and storage had been built, aiming to increase the adjustable load capacity to 70 GW by 2030. Third, implementation of electric energy substitution in end-consumption. The supporting power grids construction had been completed in northern China for the "coal-to-electricity" of 10.63 million households, thus reducing an annual carbon dioxide emission of 66 million tons. A fast charging network was established along highways covering 176 cities across China, known as "ten vertical lines, ten horizontal lines and two rings", the world's largest smart vehicle network was built and a green electricity trading platform was set up.

State Grid technical personnel monitoring the real-time operation of charging piles in its business area on the platform of smart vehicle network.

Participants said that the success of the forum hosted by State Grid boasted wide influence, fruitful results, and far-reaching significance. The keynote speech presented forward-looking, constructive and feasible insights, elaborated the significance and role of building a new power system, shared the innovative practices of State Grid, and described the bright prospect of the clean energy transition. It aroused wide resonance and positive response, and contributed wisdom and strength to the energy transition of China and beyond.

The forum was held both on-line and on-spot, during which CEO insights and high-level dialogues were held among internationally renowned power enterprises. Three sub-forums focused on topics including The Route to Emission Reduction in Power Sector, Power System Based on New Energy, and Electrification of End Use and Energy Efficiency. More than 700 delegates from 58 countries and regions attended the forum.