The 2016 International Conference on Global Energy Interconnection (GEI) with the focus of "Meeting the global power demand with clean and green energy alternatives" opened in Beijing this morning. This two-day conference is jointly hosted by State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC), Caring for Climate (C4C), International Energy Agency (IEA) and The Edison Electric Institute (EEI). The sponsors of the conference include China Electricity Council (CEC), China Society for Electrical Engineering (CSEE), China Machinery Industry Federation (CMIF), International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). More than 600 representatives from 300 international organizations including the United Nations, government bodies, sector organizations, peer enterprises, and research institutes from 26 countries in Asia, Europe, Africa, America and Oceania attended the conference.

SGCC Chairman Liu Zhenya opened the conference with a welcome and a keynote speech - "Building Global Energy Interconnection to Step Forward to a New Era of Sustainable Future". Other guest speakers included Fatih Birol, IEA Executive Director; Sanjay Kumar, Climate Parliament Executive Director; Frans Vreeswijk, CEO and General Secretary of IEC; Bruce Kraemer, President of IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA); Lawrence E. Jones, Vice President of International Programs of Edison Electric Institute; Roberto Jaguaribe, Ambassador of Brazil to China; Joao Vasconcelos, Secretary of State for Industry of Portugal; Peter B. Littlewood, Director of Argonne National Laboratory, Professor Friedrich Prinz from Stanford University, Roman Berdnikov, First Deputy Director General of Rosseti; Claudio Facchin, President of the Power Grids Division of ABB Ltd.; Yang Kun, Executive president of China Electricity Council; Liu Jizhen, Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering and President of North China Electric Power University; and Nan Cunhui, Chairman & CEO of CHINT Group. All guest speakers spoke highly of GEI, believed that the conditions are ready for the construction of GEI, encouraged closer collaboration among all relevant parties and to jointly promote the development of GEI.