YOUTH leaders from 13 countries and regions gathered in Shenzhen on Friday for a forum on energy cooperation and shared development in the Asia-Pacific.

More than 60 experts, scholars, young delegates and journalists attended the “Asia-Pacific Youth Gathering: Building a Shared Future Through Energy” event.

The participants visited the 110-kilovolt Chunhui Substation in Nanshan District, the country’s first zero-carbon smart educational substation, and the HQB Museum in Futian District. The visits offered insights into Shenzhen’s green energy planning and industrial transformation.

Story-sharing sessions and roundtable discussions focused on the green and low-carbon transition, regional connectivity and coordination between electricity and computing power.

Chhoeun Raksmey, director of the Department of Portable Water Policies at Cambodia’s Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation, said the green transition requires coordinated efforts by governments, businesses, research institutions and communities.

Wirun Phichaiwongphakdee, director of the Thailand-China Research Center of the Belt and Road Initiative, shared examples of grassroots cooperation. They included a Thai woman who achieved financial independence after receiving support from the Chinese Consulate General in Khon Kaen to open a hair salon, and Thai agricultural experts who worked with villagers in Du’an, Guangxi, to address pomelo-growing challenges.

Alex Choi of Macao, co-founder and executive director of MTEL Telecommunications, highlighted the role of digital infrastructure and youth innovation in industrial upgrading. Fan Siran of the China Southern Power Grid’s Shenzhen Power Supply Bureau said nearly 60% of the electricity used in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is expected to come from green sources by 2030.

Participants also discussed cross-border energy links, citing the China-Laos 500-kilovolt interconnection project as an example of mutually beneficial cooperation. The project has increased two-way power exchange capacity from 50,000 kilowatts to 1.5 million kilowatts and delivers 3 billion kilowatt-hours of clean electricity annually.

Yang Bo of CSG Lancang-Mekong International said grid connectivity was only the first step and that allowing electricity to flow freely through the market was key to maximizing its benefits. Continued efforts to expand cross-border grid connections would help allocate clean power more efficiently across the region, Yang said.                 (SD News)