China proposes a strategic energy alliance to Spain
During the 1st China-Spain Green Energy Forum, held in Madrid, Luo Bixiong, chairman of China Power Engineering Consulting Group (CPECC) and chief scientist of Energy China, presented the Asian giant's energy cooperation proposals for Spain to more than 200 professionals and investors.
Under the premise that «many energy compatibilities exist between both countries,» CPECC—defined as «China's national team in the energy field»—put two major ventures on the table: promoting large-scale offshore wind and offshore photovoltaic power, and building a hydrogen-based fuel supply chain connecting North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, and the rest of Europe.
The Chinese view of the energy transition
Bixiong emphasized that the energy transition is not merely a replacement of fossil fuels with renewables, but «a profound restructuring of the entire energy system and its operational logic.» China, with a renewable installed capacity exceeding 40% of the global total, is committed to a comprehensive approach based on four pillars: source, grid, load, and storage.
• Sourcediversification with an emphasis on non-fossil energies, promoting cutting-edge technologies such as high-altitude wind and offshore wind energy, alongside the development of hydrogen and nuclear energy.
• Redconstruction of an interconnected, smart, and resilient network, with the application of flexible direct current transmission and digitalization through artificial intelligence and big data.
• Loadelectrification and energy efficiency improvement, activating flexible demand-side response resources.
• Storagefocuses on multiple technological routes, ranging from electrochemical and pumped-storage to innovative solutions such as compressed air and gravity energy storage.
Concrete proposals for cooperation
Bixiong framed his proposal within the context of the Action Plan between the Kingdom of Spain and the People's Republic of China to Strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2025-2028), highlighting articles 15 and 17, which promote the exchange of researchers and cooperation in the green economy.
CPECC's «suggestions» include:
• Promote the complementary development of sources such as wind, solar, marine, and hydrogen.
• Promote the large-scale development of deep-water offshore wind and marine photovoltaics.
• Jointly develop technologies for green hydrogen production, biomass gasification, CO₂ capture, and green fuel synthesis, with the goal of building a supply chain connecting North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, and Europe.
• Carry out «Generation-Grid-Load-Storage» demonstration projects.
• Update the Spanish transmission grid and build cross-border corridors, transforming the 400 kV circuits between Spain and France into flexible DC systems and promoting a ±800 kV corridor between Spain and Germany.
• Explore the complementarity between energy and sectors such as transportation, construction, and data centers, creating zero-emission industrial parks.
• Develop diversified storage projects and collaborate on emerging technologies such as long-duration storage and hydrogen storage.
An alliance with global reach
Energy China proposes that China, Spain, France, and Morocco collaborate on the construction of a clean energy base centered in Spain surrounding the Mediterranean, creating a transnational photovoltaic-storage-hydrogen cluster.
Furthermore, it proposes the establishment of bilateral consortia to jointly develop the Latin American market, participating in new energy projects in Mexico and Chile.
Finally, it proposes unlocking channels for the exchange of talent and technology through the creation of an international joint innovation platform, the establishment of the «China-Spain Energy Scholarship,» and talent training in the energy sector.
CPECC, with 27 companies in China, 2 in Spain, and a presence in more than 140 countries, presents itself as the ideal strategic partner to support Spain in its energy transition.
Source: Renewable Energy
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