On March 26, Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization (GEIDCO) held a press conference to introduce the development and work carried out in the past five years since its establishment. The latest research results of CO2 emission peak and carbon neutrality were announced, and questions from journalists were answered.
GEIDCO was set up on March 29, 2016, as the first international organization in the energy field initiated by China. With the aim of building a GEI system that meets global electricity demand in a clean and green way, GEIDCO takes "advancing the energy revolution and green, low-carbon and sustainable development" as its mission, and promoting GEI and becoming a leading international organization with global voice, influence and actions as its strategic goal. GEIDCO endeavors to foster an international cooperation platform that encourages extensive consultation, joint contribution, shared benefits and win-win cooperation, driving the innovation and development of GEI.
Wu Xuan, Secretary-general of GEIDCO, introduced the work progress and achievements of GEIDCO since its establishment at the press conference. GEIDCO actively engages in furthering energy transition, addressing climate change, and advancing sustainable development worldwide. Headway has been made in facilitating international energy cooperation and spurring green and low-carbon development. H.E. António Guterres, Secretary-general of the UN, has spoken highly of the efforts made by GEIDCO. The heads of relevant UN agencies, international organizations like the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Hydropower Association (IHA), and the International Council on Large Electric Systems (CIGRE), and important regional organizations, including the African Union, the League of Arab States, and the ASEAN as well as many world-renowned enterprises have all highly praised the achievements of GEI and GEIDCO.
In the past five years, Wu Xuan said, GEIDCO has advanced the GEI Initiative worldwide through more than 50 important international conferences and 500 public events, with outcomes of the conferences incorporated in the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and activities of celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the UN. GEIDCO has carried out more than 100 researches, released more than 50 innovative results globally, and published more than 50 monographs and reports in Chinese and English, enhancing its influence among the government, enterprises, academia, and the public. To better serve as a think tank, an integrated database and a basic research platform covering six continents, key regions and countries have been established, involving energy and power, climate change, ecological environment, economy and industry. A comprehensive research system incorporating theories and strategies, development plans, major projects, key technologies, and policy mechanisms has been set up, and high-level academic journals with international recognition have been established. GEIDCO has been facilitating international cooperation in energy projects by establishing key project libraries, selecting and proposing 219 clean energy bases and 110 trans-national and trans-continental grid interconnection projects. Headway has been made in power interconnection projects between China, its neighbors and countries along the Belt and Road. Specifically, the China-Korea Interconnection Project has completed the pre-feasibility study. The China-Myanmar-Bangladesh Interconnection Project has established an inter-governmental joint working group. GEIDCO has signed a tripartite cooperation agreement on the interconnection project between Ethiopia and the Gulf States with the Ethiopian Ministry of Energy and the GCC Interconnection Authority. GEI has entered a stage of project implementation. Drawing on "Internet plus" model and platform-based economy, the "World of Energy Interconnection (WEI)", the world's first online development and cooperation platform was officially rolled out on March 23, 2021, with core functions covering project promotion, exchanges and cooperation, and information services. To address the difficulties faced by the least developed countries in fund, market and government guarantee for major projects, a co-development model of "electricity-mining-metallurgy-industry-trade" has been proposed, which has won support from the African Union, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the Association of Power Utilities of Africa, the five major power pools in Africa, and governments, enterprises and institutions of many countries.
Cheng Zhiqiang, Deputy Secretary-general of GEIDCO, elaborated GEIDCO's global network and international cooperation at the press conference. According to Mr. Cheng, GEIDCO has set up seven regional offices and representative offices in 65 countries. On this basis, it has further established four regional committees in Africa, MENA region, Europe, and Latin America, and 11 national committees were set up in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Ethiopia, the Republic of the Congo, Russia, Portugal, Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina, gradually forming a global outreach. GEIDCO has 1,157 members from 132 countries, of which international members account for over 50%. There are also 28 Fortune Global 500 companies from such fields as energy, electricity, information, finance, science and technology, meteorology, and environmental protection. GEIDCO has set up the Advisory (Consultant) Board and Technical (Academic) Committee, which comprises renowned experts from China and other countries. Besides, it founded four professional alliances, namely, the GEI Finance Alliance, GEI Equipment Alliance, GEI University Alliance, and GEI Think Tank Alliance, which have 192 members from more than 30 countries. As of now, they have held nearly 40 alliance activities. GEIDCO worked with the Guinean Government to initiate the African Energy Interconnection and Sustainable Development Alliance (AEISDA), to build cooperation platform for African countries and global companies and institutions to align policies, integrate resources, and complement each other's advantages. With such efforts, GEI can be carried out in Africa at a faster pace. At present, 20 countries and 100 world-known companies and institutions have applied for AEISDA membership.
According to Cheng Zhiqiang, GEIDCO has established close partnerships with the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), UN Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), the Secretariat of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States(UN-OHRLLS), World Meteorological Organization (WMO), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and other important institutions, as well as the five United Nations' regional commissions, including Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific(UN ESCAP), Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia(UN ESCWA), Economic Commission for Africa(UN ECA), Economic Commission for Europe, and Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean(UN ECLAC). It also has collaborated with state governments, international organizations, companies, institutions, and universities, signing 48 cooperation agreements. In a word, GEIDCO has basically shaped a global friendship network. It regularly communicates and works with high-end think tanks and world-class research institutes, such as Chatham House, World Meteorological Organization, Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres, International Hydropower Association, Royal Academy of Engineering, World Energy Council, ASEAN Centre for Energy, and International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis(IIASA), on issues regarding the fight against climate change and environmental pollution, regional energy and power interconnection, and introduction and delivery of renewable energy.
GEIDCO recently held a Seminar on China's CO2 Emission Peak and Carbon Neutrality in Beijing. A systematic solution to achieve national emission reduction target via China's energy interconnection was put forward by GEIDCO, along with the release of three key research results, namely, the reports on China's CO2 Emission Peak before 2030, China's Carbon Neutrality before 2060, and China's Energy and Power Development Plan for 2030 and Outlook for 2060. China's energy interconnection will enable a modern energy system that is clean energy-dominant, electric-centric, and widely interconnected, thus achieving CO2 emissions peak and carbon neutrality. At this press conference, Director General of GEIDCO’s Economic and Technology Research Institute Zhou Yuanbing and Deputy Director General Huang Han and Li Juan introduced the main content of the three reports successively.
GEIDCO noted that as the world's largest developing country and CO2 emitter, China needs to maintain development while realizing rapid mitigation. This is an arduous task. Based on the country's actual situation, China should put into practice the new development concept and take energy as the lever, to achieve the goal of CO2 emissions peak and carbon neutrality. It needs to lead the development of China's energy interconnection with UHV grids, catalyze clean replacement in energy production and electricity replacement in energy consumption, and build a clean, low-carbon, safe, and efficient modern energy system. Helped by the zero-carbon energy revolution, the country is expected to expedite decarburization, realizing the decoupling of energy development from carbon and economic development from carbon emission. In this way, China can embark on a fast, low-cost, and cost-effective path for carbon neutrality.
Report on China's CO2 Emission Peak before 2030 outlines the pathway for mitigation: focusing on accelerating China's energy interconnection to stimulate clean replacement and electricity replacement; relying on zero-carbon energy revolution to realize decarburization. In addition to a three-stage mitigation path, namely CO2 emissions peak before 2030, accelerated decarbonization between 2030 and 2050, and carbon neutrality between 2050 and 2060, the report also proposes a specific plan, which incorporates eight major actions, key technologies in six areas, and six policy mechanisms. Report on China's Carbon Neutrality before 2060 proposes significant measures to achieve the target, including speeding up China's energy interconnection, controlling the total amount of coal consumption and the growth rate of oil and gas consumption, and driving clean and efficient development. With such efforts, the country can have total fossil energy consumption and CO2 emissions peak before 2030. In response to the goals of CO2 emissions peak and carbon neutrality, China's Energy and Power Development Plan for 2030 and Outlook for 2060 presents plans for the energy structure in 2030, clean energy, power grid and energy strategies for 2060. This provides a roadmap for the energy and power industry to meet the mitigation goal.
