Dr Angela Wilkinson: “The race to net-zero is now part of a much greater race—to develop a new global energy operating system.”

Dr Angela Wilkinson: "The race to net-zero is now part of a much greater race—to develop a new global energy operating system."

Our Secretary General and CEO Dr Angela Wilkinson presented an opening keynote at the International Forum on Power System Transformation 2025 on 20 May.

Her remarks are as follows:

Your Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, and Esteemed Leaders,

DA JIA HAO!
Thank you for the invitation to join you this afternoon. It is an honor to speak at this gathering of global power and utility leaders—especially here in China, a country whose energy journey is already reshaping the global story of transitions.

As the World Energy Council continues to mark its centenary this year – the world is grappling a significant moment in energy, a turning point in the future of humanity.

As open-minded observers and active listeners, it is becoming clear that an electrification super cycle is unfolding and being buffered by geopolitical storms. Energy deficits are underestimated and growing in all regions. Climate change is biting, and Mother Nature is shuffling the planetary deck of cards.

Crystal balls are clouded with deep uncertainty and ambiguity. Change is not a question of fast or slow, but of coping with new and sudden shocks.

And yet two things are clear: energy matters now more than ever. And what happens in—and with—China’s power system will shape the future of energy everywhere.

Triple-A Achievements: Abundance, Affordability, and AI

China’s energy additions and transitions is one of the most important—and inspiring—energy stories of our time.

It is a story of abundance:

• In 2023 alone, China added around 210 GW of solar capacity—more than the United States’ total cumulative solar build-out to date.

• Today, China produces 80% of the world’s solar panels, 60% of wind components, and 70% of global batteries.

It is a story of affordability:

• Long-term industrial planning and supply chain integration have driven down global renewable energy costs—unlocking new possibilities not only in China, but across emerging economies.

And it is a story of human collective wisdom augmented by AI:

• Through ultra-high-voltage transmission, intelligent grid infrastructure, and pioneering digital platforms, China is proving that smart, stable, low-carbon power systems can be designed and delivered at unprecedented scale.

These triple-A achievements—abundance, affordability, and AI—represent more than technical leadership. They reflect vision, scale, and coherence and show how energy additions and transitions are not just necessary—they are doable, at speed and scale.

Circularity: The Next Frontier of Global Energy Leadership

Yet as the world enters a new phase, it becomes clear: how we got here won’t get us where we need to be.

The race to net-zero is now part of a much greater race—to develop a new global energy operating system.

The next chapter of world energy leadership must also address the growing risks of resource intensity, supply chain volatility, and end-of-life waste.

In short, the world must move beyond clean to circular.

Circularity requires more than supply-side process efficiencies and waste recovery—it calls for systems that can regenerate knowledge, restore trust, and reward long-term stewardship.

This is where China has another leadership opportunity—perhaps even responsibility.

As the largest producer and deployer of clean energy technologies, China is uniquely positioned to:

• Set design-for-reuse standards in solar, wind, and battery manufacturing

• Pioneer circular value chains and closed-loop systems

• And promote inclusive leadership in critical minerals diplomacy, transparency and innovation.

The World Energy Council is inviting SGCC—and China more broadly—to partner on a new guiding principle of circularity - and help every region manage energy abundance without ecological overshoot and with delivery human dignity and wellbeing.

Circularity is one of the new leadership principles we are using to extend our pioneering heritage and evolve the World Energy Trilemma framework into a new World Energy Compass – a real-time, flexible and scalable inter-operability platform that can meet demand for trustworthiness and transparency and support shared learning on multiple energy additions and transitions, in different places at different paces.

Moving Forward Together

As the Council turns 100, we are undergoing our own transition.

We are moving with the times – to realize the new possibilities of a faster paced and fundamentally transformational moment.

We are aiming for another 100 years of people-centric and nature positive harmony and impact. And we are already modernizing ourselves. Because what the world needs now is not more declarations, but more effective and sustained collaboration and truly global energy community.

Humanizing energy is about engaging with human collective wisdom—so we can move humanity faster and wiser into a safe operating space.

As we look to all regions – we invite China—not only to share experiences and learning, but for leadership and partnership.

SGCC has the vision, capacity, and legacy to be a founding architect of this next era of distributed global energy governance. Together, we can build systems that are not just cleaner—but wiser, fairer, and more resilient.

Closing Thoughts

What China has achieved in the power sector is extraordinary.

What the world can learn—and what we can still achieve together—will shape the next hundred years of energy leadership.

Thank you for your leadership, your trust, and your commitment to a shared future.

Our job has never been to predict what will happen next. It’s always been to maintain realistic hope – cultivate energy communities and shape a better energy future for all.

Energy is the story of all of us and every future still to come – and it’s a much better story if we write it together.