China Energy Investment Corporation (China Energy) held a press conference on October 12 in Beijing to encapsulate its major work and achievements as well as vision for the future.
An offshore wind farm constructed by China Energy in Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province
According to the press release, in the past three quarters, its coal output reached 450 million tons, up 0.2 percent compared with the same period of last year, and coal sales reached 620 million tons with a year-on-year increase of 5.8 percent. The company has generated 900.3 billion kWh of power and supplied 334 million GJ of heat, a year-on-year increase of 5.7 percent and 4.4 percent, respectively.
While ensuring energy supplies, China Energy has stepped up efforts to accelerate green and low-carbon transition. Its installed capacity with renewable energy has surpassed 100 million kilowatts, accounting for 33.2 percent of its total installed capacity. In addition, new energy represents over 70 percent of all its power projects constructed and put into operation since the start of this year.
The company has also actively participated in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) practices. As of now, China Energy has 14 overseas projects in 10 countries, including the De Aar Wind Farm in South Africa, the Thrace wind power project in Greece, and the Jawa-7 coal-fired power plant in Indonesia. Such projects have highlighted environmental protection and helped improve local people’s livelihoods.
China Today reporter asked what challenges China Energy have faced in its overseas projects stemming from cultural differences and how it overcame those challenges. China Energy responded that creating a working environment that is friendly to local people of the host country for their projects has always been a key element of its working strategy. One example was that of the Jawa-7 coal-fired power plant in Indonesia. To accommodate the religious beliefs of the local Muslim workers in Indonesia, China Energy designed a prayer room on the plant grounds to carry their daily prayers as desired. It also helped construct a mosque in a village nearby the plant so the workers and locals could carry out their religious practices conveniently. This has helped reduce misunderstandings in their effort to establish a great relationship between the management, workers, and local residents, strengthening mutual trust.
In this way, China Energy also exhibited the ancient Chinese spirit of respecting others and being able to integrate with countries of differing cultures, thus helping build a community of a shared future for humankind.
