Angela Wilkinson, Secretary-General and CEO of the World Energy Council, called for urgent investments in energy storage and grid infrastructure on Tuesday, highlighting their critical role in developing new power systems during the global energy transition.
She outlined her vision for the future of the global energy transition on the sidelines of the International Forum on Power System Transformation 2025, held in Beijing on Monday and Tuesday.
Running under the theme "Accelerating Energy Transition with New Power Systems", the event showcased key technologies such as flexible DC grid connections for offshore wind power and advanced grid control systems designed to stabilize grids with high renewable energy penetration.
Wilkinson stressed that the global energy transition must strike a balance between reliability, cost, progress, and sustainability. She noted that while carbon emissions often dominate discussions, an effective energy system must address multiple objectives.
"When we talk about energy transitions, quite often everybody wants to focus immediately only on carbon emissions. But actually an energy system has multiple goals, it has to provide security, affordability and progress sustainabilities. But today, when you talk about those blackouts in Spain and Portugal, we understand that as you put more renewables onto the grid, onto the system, actually you get more intermittency and more variability, and so we have to invest in more storage, and we have to invest in more grids," she explained.
Wilkinson also praised China's efforts in building a new energy system that combines a diverse energy mix with advanced transmission and distribution networks.
"So when, I think, you come to China, you look at what does this new power system look like. And you look not just at all the different generation capacity, there's solar, there's wind, there's nuclear, there's coal, and there's hydro. Right? A diverse mix. And then you look at how that gets connected to where it's needed, so you have these big transmission lines and the big distribution lines. So this is a phenomenal achievement to combine not just the supply revolution, but also the demand and the technology revolution," she said.
World Energy Council chief urges more infrastructure investment amid global energy shift
The Iranian government is focusing on public concerns and maintaining stable supplies of essential goods amid recent protests, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a televised interview on Sunday.
In the city of Karaj, northwest of the capital Tehran, daily life has largely continued as normal. A video filmed by a local resident on Sunday shows food stores open and grocery shelves fully stocked.
"This is the block near my home, and there are some food stores here. Daily life continues here. Last night we did not see many protests in Karaj. Right now the city is very safe. This is a grocery store close to my home. All the food is available; nothing is in shortage. Here are noodles and different types of beans. Here are dairy products, cheese, and yogurt. I also checked other grocery stores and didn't see any shortages. Everything is available," said local resident Ali Reza.
Iranian officials have described recent disturbances as acts orchestrated by the "enemy," including some carried out by well-trained and armed "terrorists." The incidents have caused casualties among security personnel and civilians, as well as property damage.
The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani has directed authorities to severely punish the "terrorists."
Meanwhile, Iran's police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said on Sunday that the police had raised alert levels and arrested several leaders of the troublemakers during the operations on Saturday.
President Pezeshkian noted in the interview that the normal demands of the Iranian people are reasonable and justified, but they must realize that triggering riots and carrying out terrorist acts are the enemy's attempts to undermine the country. He urged the public to remain vigilant.
Also on Sunday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned that Tehran would regard U.S. and Israeli bases and facilities in the Middle East as "legitimate targets" if Washington takes military action against Iran. His remarks followed media reports saying U.S. President Donald Trump is "seriously considering authorizing a strike" against Iran.
Iranian state media reported that at least 109 members of Iran's security forces have been killed in clashes since the protests began 14 days ago. Meanwhile, human rights groups based outside the country said the number of protesters killed has exceeded 200, though the figure could not be independently verified.
The protests initially erupted over a sharp depreciation of the rial and sweeping subsidy reforms. Iranian authorities have blamed the unrest on foreign-linked agents and sanctions imposed by the United States.
Iranian president says government focusing on ensuring supplies amid protests
