China Southern Power Grid: Supporting Asia-Pacific Growth Through Energy Cooperation
Shenzhen, China (ANTARA/PRNewswire) – News article from Xinhuanet:
The Asia-Pacific Media Forum opened in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, on 5 September under the theme “Building a Path Towards Collective Growth for the Asia-Pacific Community: Consensus and Concrete Action for the Media”. Qian Chaoyang, Chairman of China Southern Power Grid Co., Ltd. (CSG), who also serves as Party Secretary, attended the event and delivered remarks.
The Asia-Pacific region is one of the principal engines behind global economic growth. To sustain that momentum, the region requires a clean, low-carbon, secure and efficient energy supply. Asia-Pacific nations also account for a large share of global energy consumption. Although their energy resources differ widely, this very diversity creates opportunities for countries in the region to complement one another and strengthen regional energy connectivity. CSG continues to support the building of an Asia-Pacific community with a shared future, whilst promoting stronger regional energy interconnection.
CSG outlined developments across six areas in the Greater Bay Area: electricity supply, grid reliability, clean energy integration, transmission technology, artificial intelligence, and regional cooperation. Electricity consumption in the Greater Bay Area has surpassed 700 TWh, higher than any other bay area in the world. Grid reliability continues to improve, with the average annual outage duration per customer recorded at less than 30 minutes, whilst the reliability of electricity supply ranks among the best in the world. Each year, around 180 billion kWh of clean electricity is delivered to the Greater Bay Area through west-to-east power transmission projects. Installed renewable energy capacity now exceeds 93 GW, with clean energy accounting for more than half of total installed capacity. In terms of innovation, CSG possesses world-class expertise in operating large, complex power grids, including flexible ultra-high voltage direct current (UHVDC) transmission technology. The Greater Bay Area’s power system is also becoming increasingly intelligent, thanks to a foundation model for the power sector developed by CSG, “Big Watt • Yudian”. This AI model won the highest award at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference. On the regional cooperation front, CSG regularly launches and hosts the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Power Enterprise Summit, and established the Greater Bay Area Power Development Cooperation Organisation to promote more open and mutually beneficial cooperation in the power sector.
CSG also shared its experience in building, operating and managing an “electrified Greater Bay Area” as part of its contribution to building an Asia-Pacific community with a shared future. This experience encompasses energy cooperation at the regional level. CSG has built 17 high-voltage power transmission lines with Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar, and is exploring the development of a regional electricity market in the Lancang-Mekong region. To date, cross-border power cooperation projects have reached more than 84 TWh, with clean energy accounting for over 90 per cent of the total.
The reliability of electricity supply at Pluz Energía Perú, a project undertaken by CSG, ranks first in the local market. In three pilot zones developed jointly with Laos, power outages have been reduced by as much as 70 per cent. CSG also hosted the Global South Power Partnership Development Forum and has signed more than 50 partnership agreements. In addition, the company has trained nearly 2,000 energy professionals from partner countries and carried out a number of small-scale community projects with significant impact, including the Vinh Tan Light initiative in Vietnam and the Dok Champa project in Laos.
Going forward, CSG will work with partners across the region to harness the advantages of complementary energy resources and expand cross-border energy cooperation in the Asia-Pacific.
The event brought together more than 400 delegates from over 40 countries and territories, including United Nations bodies and international organisations.