Icelandic President Halla Tómasdóttir and Chinese President Xi Jinping (source: Arctic Green Energy)
Iceland and China have agreed to strengthen long-term cooperation in the fields of geothermal energy, sustainable development, and green transition.
Iceland and China have released a joint statement on their agreement that geothermal energy will play an important role in mitigating climate change and achieving green transformation, and have agreed to cooperate on advancing geothermal growth in several areas. The statement was issued following a visit of Icelandic President Halla Tómasdóttir at the at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Based on long-term cooperation, the two sides will strengthen inter-governmental and inter-industry cooperation and develop geothermal energy potential at the global, regional, and national levels. Ultimately, the goals of geothermal development include the reduction of greenhouse has emissions, creation of new green industries and jobs, and the continuous improvement of the people’s quality of life.
The two sides will support and promote sustainable development policies, measures, and practices, develop a circular economy and sustainable green value chains, encourage green innovation and low-carbon solutions, and promote gender equality in the process. The two sides will also jointly advance global plastic pollution control.
The relevant competent authorities, enterprises and organizations of both sides will cooperate and engage in dialogue on existing areas of cooperation, as well as new initiatives to accelerate green transformation and sustainable development.
As part of her visit, President Tómasdóttir also met with a delegation from Arctic Green Energy, led by Founder and Chairman Haukur Hardarson, and Sinopec Group, led by Chairman Hou Qijun. The joint venture between the two companies, Sinopec Green Energy (SGE), is a manifestation of nearly two decades of cooperation between the two countries.
Discussions focused on continued growth of SGE’s operations in China and internationally, the strengthening of research and development ties between the two countries, and the expansion of geothermal education and training through the Iceland-China Geothermal Training Program. In addition, new opportunities were highlighted including applying geothermal energy to emerging global needs, from sustainable urban heating, to industrial-use applications, and clean cooling for AI data centers.
Source: CPCNews.cn and Arctic Green