(Photo/State Grid News)

A Chinese initiative for building a global energy interconnection (GEI) was discussed during the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) summit held in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria on Dec.22, which is believed to be helpful in boosting clean energy exploitation and solving the problem of power shortages in Africa.

First proposed by China in 2015, a GEI is a powerful globally interconnected smart technology with an ultrahigh-voltage grid as the backbone. It functions as a platform for promoting large-scale exploitation, allocation, and utilization of clean energy around the world.

Liu Zhenya, chairman of the Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization (GEIDCO) presented the planning scheme for the building of energy interconnections in West Africa and the thinking for integrated development of electricity, mining, metallurgy, industry, and trade in West Africa at a high-level conference on the sustainable development of energy interconnection during the ECOWAS summit.

To build the energy interconnection in West Africa means to coordinate internal and external resources to enhance the construction of the grids in various countries and their cross-border and cross-regional interconnection, guide the exploitation of clean energy in the region, and introduce external clean electrical energy to the region so as to guarantee West Africa’s economic and social development for the supply of safe, economical, and clean energy, according to Liu.

Liu also expressed that the African continent is endowed with abundant clean energy resources and mineral resources, the idea of integrating the development of electricity, mining, metallurgy, industry, and trade via coordinated planning and construction of bases of clean energy, metallurgy, and industrial parks will effectively solve the problem of power shortages within industrial development and provide a market for electricity development.

Energy interconnection is not only helpful in boosting trade and market development in African countries, but is important for changing the pattern of agriculture in local areas, and the on-site processing of raw materials will promote the development of education and technologies, said Guinean President Alpha Conde after the conference during an interview, disclosing that the Western African leaders attending the conference were very interested in the energy interconnection proposed by China.