As the early winter unfurls, the sun radiates warmth, the maple leaves glow in their peak autumnal red, and Beijing, captivating with its distinctive charm of an ancient capital, graciously welcomes guests from across the globe. The International Energy Transition Forum 2020 was successfully convened on November 10. This event was co-hosted by the State Grid Corporation of China and the World Economic Forum, and co-organized by the China Association for Science and Technology, with endorsement from the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council. With the topic of Energy Transition and Sustained Development in the Post-pandemic Era, the forum's key objective was to deliberate on the role of technological innovation in driving a clean, low-carbon energy transition in the current landscape, thereby stimulating economic growth in the post-pandemic era and fostering a shared future for humanity.

      Klaus Schwab, the Executive Chairman and Founder of the World Economic Forum, along with Wan Gang, Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Chairman of the China Association for Science and Technology, graced the event with their insightful speeches. Mao Weiming, the Chairman of the State Grid Corporation, gave a keynote address, and the proceedings were presided over by General Manager Xin Bao'an.

      Keynote addresses were delivered by esteemed figures such as Camela, Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency, Zhao Aiming, Deputy Director of the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, Lin Shanqing, Deputy Director of the National Energy Administration, Liu Zhenya, Chairman of the Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization and the China Electric Power Enterprise Federation, among others. Liu Zehong, Deputy General Manager of the State Grid Corporation, presented the Company's forward-looking strategy

      The forum was attended by an esteemed gathering of 24 ambassadors and diplomatic envoys stationed in China, 9 leaders of renowned international organizations, 42 executives of domestic and foreign energy and power companies along with industry associations, senior management from reputable research, financial and legal institutions, and distinguished experts and scholars.

      Schwab expressed his pride in co-hosting the International Energy Transition Forum with the State Grid Corporation of China. He praised the State Grid Corporation for its recognition of the pressing need for energy transition, and its ongoing expansion of new energy equipment grid connections. This, he said, sets a benchmark in championing global low-carbon development. Schwab also stressed that accelerating the pace of energy transformation reaps long-term, stable economic and societal benefits, and is pivotal in combating climate change, generating employment opportunities, and achieving sustainable development. The world, transformed by the COVID-19 pandemic, is ripe for a fresh start. This pivotal moment necessitates global unity and collective action to navigate the challenges ahead. The World Economic Forum pledges to advocate for international cooperation and collaborate with the State Grid Corporation to hasten the global energy transition, aiming for early carbon neutrality and worldwide shared prosperity.

      Wan Gang commended the successful orchestration of the forum. He emphasized that the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, at its Fifth Plenary Session, enshrined innovation as the central strategy for national development. During the "14th Five-Year Plan", China has delineated clear short-term goals to achieve efficient energy resource allocation, improve utilization, and persistently decrease major pollutant emissions. A long-term goal set for 2035 involves a steady reduction of carbon emissions after their peak. He underlined the significance of accelerating the green, low-carbon energy transition for sustainable development in the post-pandemic world. By concentrating on clean energy, the comprehensive transformation of energy production and consumption should be expedited. Utilizing the energy revolution, the green recovery of the economy should be spurred alongside prosperous development, promoting technological innovation and international energy collaboration. We hope to defend and uphold the multilateral system together with all countries, and promote the global energy transition towards green and low-carbon.

      Camela acknowledged the forum as a pragmatic and efficient platform for international dialogue and exchange, stressing that renewable energy development can revolutionize the lives of billions, presenting a vast potential for the future. The International Renewable Energy Agency pledges to reinforce cooperation with all stakeholders to achieve the shared goal of carbon neutrality. Zhao Aiming proposed that central enterprises should actively promote the transformation of energy production modes towards being clean-dominated. By fostering technological innovation, we should drive a systemic reshaping of the energy industry, vigorously cultivating new models and businesses. By promoting domestic and international dual-circulation, we can help build an open, competitive, efficient, and stable international energy market. Lin Shanqing pointed out that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, we should persist in the direction of clean and low-carbon development, continue to optimize the energy structure, and construct a clean energy power system with a high proportion. We hope all parties will expand consensus, move forward together, strengthen communication, deepen cooperation, and accelerate the energy transformation process in China and globally.

      Mao Weiming’s keynote speech, titled Deepening the Clean and Low-Carbon Energy Transition: Igniting the Engine of Development in the Post-Pandemic Era, revolved around the theme of "one concept, three stories, and three proposals." He introduced innovative practices of the State Grid Corporation in promoting the revolution in energy production and consumption. In his noteworthy speech at the 75th United Nations General Assembly on September 22nd, Chinese President Xi Jinping committed to peak China's CO2 emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Alongside this pledge, he urged a Green Recovery for the global economy in the post-pandemic period. President Xi's remarks underscore China's responsibilities as a global power and its belief in a collective human destiny. His statements could be highly influential in safeguarding our shared planetary home.

      As Mao Weiming pointed out, the world experiences the same warmth and chill, indicating our interconnected human fate. Energy, modern society's lifeblood, fuels economic growth. The post-pandemic era brings a common challenge of sustainable development across energy, economy, and environment, necessitating a shift towards energy transition and green development. The widespread use of fossil fuels such as coal and oil has undoubtedly spurred productivity and societal progression, but it has also resulted in serious resource constraints, environmental pollution, and climate change concerns. The past five years have been the warmest on record, making the temperature control targets of the Paris Agreement a pressing priority. To meet these formidable challenges, the international community must firmly advocate for energy transition and green development. We must shift our energy systems from high-carbon to low-carbon, primarily from traditional fossil fuels to new and renewable energies, using various advanced technologies. This transition will hasten the establishment of green production and consumption patterns, contributing to ecological civilization and sustainable development.

      As Mao Weiming pointed out, the State Grid Corporation of China has proactively embraced the trends of energy and digital revolutions, setting strategic goals to construct a leading energy internet enterprise with Chinese characteristics. It has actively participated in the exploration and practice of energy transition, achieving commendable results. Mao shared three stories exemplifying three perspectives. Firstly, the Qinghai-Henan UHV DC project, using world-leading ultra-high voltage direct current transmission technology, continuously transmits clean power from the western region to the Central China load center 1587 kilometers away, illustrating the energy internet's vital role in energy transition. Over the years, State Grid has constructed and operationalized 24 UHV AC and DC transmission projects, with cross-provincial transmission capacity surpassing 230 million kilowatts. This initiative has offered robust support for the development and utilization of Western China's energy resources and the construction of coastal nuclear power bases, significantly bolstering national energy security. The State Grid of China has become the world's premier power network, boasting the longest transmission distances and the most robust capability for energy resource allocation. Second, the Zhangbei flexible DC grid project uses the world's leading ±500 kV flexible DC transmission technology to achieve coordinated interaction between sources, grids, loads, and storage. This will help the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics become the first Olympic event to be 100% powered by clean energy, demonstrating that developing new energy is a key measure in energy transition. In recent years, the Corporation has consistently enhanced its ability to accommodate new energy by employing technical upgrades, grid expansion, and dispatch optimization. Consequently, it has established the largest grid in terms of new energy grid-connected installed capacity scale. By the end of October, the installed capacity of new energy grid connection had reached over 400 million kilowatts, an 18-fold increase since the end of 2010. This includes 186 million kilowatts of wind power and 197 million kilowatts of solar power, with the comprehensive utilization rate of new energy at 97.3%. Thirdly, the Corporation has been pivotal in supporting the electric vehicle industry. It has built a "Ten Verticals, Ten Horizontals, Two Loops" fast charging network along highways, covering 171 cities. Additionally, it has developed the world's largest smart vehicle networking platform, catering to 4.8 million electric vehicles. State Grid Corporation has also fortified research and development of new technologies like V2G, forming a Chinese charging and swapping standard system that ranks alongside those of the United States, Europe, and Japan as one of the four major global standard systems. This clearly demonstrates that innovation is essential for energy transformation. Recently, the State Grid Corporation held a Science and Technology Innovation Conference attended by nearly 100,000 employees. The "New Leap Forward Action Plan" was introduced at the conference, reforming the research management mechanism, establishing innovation consortiums, vigorously pursuing basic research and addressing core technologies, and promoting the grid's upgrade to a smarter, more ubiquitous, user-friendly, and secure energy internet.

      Mao Weiming emphasized that deepening energy transformation demands joint efforts. The State Grid Corporation sincerely hopes to strengthen communication and cooperation with all relevant parties, adhering to the principle of mutual benefit and win-win, to achieve shared development. Mao proposed three initiatives. First, to bolster policy support and view energy transformation as a key measure for economic recovery, increase financial investment and policy focus, and guide various capitals to invest more in new energy and energy internet fields. Second, to enhance technological communication and cooperation, concentrate on technical challenges such as large-scale energy storage, grid connection and consumption of new energy, and coordination and interaction of source-network-load-storage, and conduct joint research to achieve rapid breakthroughs. Third, to expedite interconnection and interoperability of energy infrastructure, improve energy security risk resistance through open cooperation, promote resource sharing and complementary advantages among countries, and advance the construction of a shared future community in the energy field.

      Forum attendees acknowledged that, amidst the global pandemic and economic downturn, the successful organization of the Energy Transformation Forum by the State Grid Corporation of China, with its impressive scale, wide-reaching influence, and fruitful outcomes, represents the "Davos" of the energy sector. The forum concentrated on the opportunities and challenges faced by the global energy industry, actively exploring paths and solutions for sustainable development, collectively promoting the "green recovery" of the world economy, and the advancement of global energy transformation, significantly boosting confidence in global post-pandemic recovery The State Grid Corporation of China's keynote speech captured the overarching trend, aligned with the theme, made clear judgments, profoundly expounded on the essence of the forum's theme, focused on explaining the concepts of energy transformation and green development, vividly showcased the Corporation's innovative practices in promoting the energy revolution, offered forward-looking, constructive, and feasible insights, called for collaborative efforts to create a better future, generated widespread resonance and strong responses, and contributed wisdom and strength to the world's energy transformation.

      Esteemed panelists, including Liu Jizhen, an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering; Mihailik, Vice President of Russia's Electric Grid Company; Liu Guoyue, General Manager of the National Energy Group; Zhao Guohua, Chairman and CEO of Schneider Electric; Fu Kaide, Vice President of Électricité de France and President of China region; Kasim, CFO and Executive Director of South Africa's Electricity Company; and Fang Qin, CEO of Hitachi ABB Power Grids, engaged in thoughtful dialogues around the forum's theme. Participants had the opportunity to explore an exhibition highlighting the innovative accomplishments of energy and power enterprises. The forum, a seamless amalgamation of online and offline components, welcomed over 500 distinguished guests from 54 countries and regions.