On May 22, the 29th World Gas Conference (WGC2025) held a main forum under the theme "Energising a Sustainable Future with Digitalization and Technological Innovation".

According to information released by the the Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform, Beijing has become the first city in China to achieve a full transition to clean energy power generation, with coal accounting for less than 1 percent of the city's total energy consumption in 2024. The proportion of green electricity has continued to rise. In 2024, the city's electricity consumption reached 138.9 billion kilowatt-hours, of which green electricity accounted for 29.3 percent. As the world's second-largest city in terms of natural gas consumption, Beijing has significantly improved its air quality. The city's annual average concentration of PM2.5 has dropped from 89.5 micrograms per cubic meter in 2013 to 30.5 micrograms per cubic meter in 2024.

Looking ahead, Beijing will promote the development of new business formats such as virtual power plants, and accelerate the construction of intelligent power, gas, and heat networks. The city aims to build a comprehensive, full-process, digitalized, and intelligent urban energy system, and develop an energy internet and energy big data platform featuring multi-energy complementarity and interconnection. Emphasis will also be placed on advancing innovation in industries such as energy conservation, hydrogen energy, and energy storage, driving energy technology innovation and a deep transformation toward green and low-carbon development.

At the forum, experts and scholars from ADA University, ABB Group, Rystad Energy, Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd., UK Royal Academy of Engineering, and other institutions engaged in a round-table discussion.

(Source: Beijing Daily)