CSG Staff Working Hard at International Frontline Posts During 2020

During Year 2020, seriously impacted by the pandemic, many worldwide airline flights were suspended and personnel exchanges were interrupted, which adversely challenged international business.

In the face of these incredible difficulties, senior managers for China Southern Power Grid International Co. Ltd., developed contingency plans and workaround solutions for pandemic prevention.

CSG senior managers and staff remained on duty at the construction sites of all international projects; discussed international asset management online with international partners or worked on international projects development and preparations. All these combined efforts joined to concurrently ensure pandemic prevention and production and operation.

To date, CSG International Co. Ltd., its holding subsidiaries and overseas institutions have been running their production lines and business operations without any employee infected by COVID-19.

Philippines:
Project staff worked for more than 600 days

The Philippine MVIP is the first international general contracting project of DC transmission under the management and construction leadership of China Southern Power Grid. During the Spring Festival Eve of 2020, the MVIP Project was still underway and project staff who have been working in the Philippines for more than one year all looked forward to reconnecting with family and friends.

Ren Rongqiang, Senior Manager of the Project Department, offered to stay in the Philippines during the festival for additional project development at the Mindanao project site. Later, when the pandemic broke out, many cities in Philippines declared a half-year lockdown and all the international flights into the major international airports of Manila and Cebu were suspended, which prevented those who were on leave at home in China, before the Spring Festival, from returning to the project.

Mr. Ren then had to remain on duty.

Site construction of the LALA Converter Station on Mindanao Island

After many frustrating attempts to hire experienced project personnel and a shutdown of work at the site construction, it was through sheer grit and determination that Mr. Ren and his skeleton crew eventually received permission from the local government in Mindanao, coming on June 16, 2020, and was able to resume work at the MVIP Project. Later in September, the construction crew and managers returned to a working environment before the pandemic outbreak.

"Now our goal has changed from ensuring the project quality to ensuring the anti-pandemic victory and the project quality," said Mr. Ren, adding, "a panel of medical experts sent to us from Guangzhou as well as protective equipment purchased by China Southern Power Grid have provided strong backing for us.

We were never left alone."

Towards the end of Year 2020, Mr. Ren, who has been in Philippines for some 600 days, really missed his family.

"My daughter now is a first-grade student. Yet I haven't taken her to school even once. I hope I can reunite with my family during the 2021 Spring Festival," said Mr. Ren, his eyes misty when he spoke about his family.

Ren Rongqiang, second on the left

MVIP Project staff: Cai Shang, Ren Rongqiang, Zhang Minghan.

In addition to Ren Rongqiang, Project Manager Cai Shang and staff member  Zhang Minghan also offered to stay on duty in the Philippines. Mr. Cai hasn't been home for more than one year while Mr. Zhang has been away from China for the past six months.

"In addition to pandemic prevention and project development, in market expansion, we also won the bidding of a general contracting project here in the Philippines. It is big step forward for our Company," said Mr. Cai.

At present, 71% of the construction of the MVIP Project has been completed with a total of 1,700 project staff employed.

Vietnam:
76 CSG staff moved to the new Staff Service Zone

Liu Ting, Engineering Manager of the Vinh Tan 1 Power Company Limited, has worked at the plant for more than nine months since he entered Vietnam through Laos on March 7, 2020.

"Some of my colleagues have been working at the frontline for 11 months. During the pandemic, those who stayed on duty have been under greater pressure than usual," said Mr. Liu.

After the Vinh Tan 1 Power Plant was put into operation, Liu Ting and Ai Guolin were the only two remaining from the Engineering Department to work for this massive project as the mission could continue and each business task unabated.

The construction of the Staff Service Zone (the living area outside the plant) was one of the first CSG priorities during Year 2020. Extremely impacted by the pandemic, it was hard for construction staff, equipment and materials to enter Vietnam. In face of these many challenges, Mr. Liu and Mr. Ai worked diligently to ensure the project development.

On October 31, 2020, the project was successfully completed and 76 employees moved into the new Staff Service Zone.

Video call between Liu Ting and his son

Liu Ting

Guangzhou:
150 international conferences were held during Year 2020

At 11:00 PM on October 1, 2020, the office of China Southern Power Grid International Co. Ltd. Asset Management Department was still humming away. As many shareholders of the Company are foreigners, and considering the cultural differences and time zone factor, many international conferences are held during Chinese traditional festivals or in late evening hours after midnight (Beijing time).

CSG Asset Management staff work long into the night to connect with their foreign partners during their daylight hours.

Asset Management Group participates in international conferences

CSG International Co. Ltd. has formed a matrix Asset Management Group with members from various fields, such as power generation, power grid, gas network, financing, cross-border tax administration, international law, and corporate governance. They work in unison from corporate strategic planning to new project investment decision judgment, offering suggestions based on each field.

"As many of our shareholders are from world-class investment and asset management enterprises around the globe, we need to gather comprehensive information from each communication and make decisions that can professionally present the asset management of our Company," said Du Tiancang, Manager of the Asset Management Department.

Studying conference materials during the day, participating in video conferences late into the evening and working overtime during the national holidays to carry out asset management is the daily routine of the Asset Management Group.

CSG International Co. Ltd. has held meetings like this more than 150 times a year.

Project Development Department works overtime to promote the project

Developing the international business for China Southern Power Grid allows the CSG Asset Management Group to vigorously compete with world-class international businesses.

"We make full use of every minute to compete in the international marketplace, otherwise we may lose the chance. We are determined to show our strength to the international community," said Tang Ganxiang, Manager of Project Development Department.