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Arup showcases energy expertise at Xiong’an International New Energy Conference

Arup contributed to discussions on advancing next-generation energy systems and supporting global decarbonisation through scalable solutions.

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Janet Chan

East Asia Media Officer

Hong Kong

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[email protected]

Last updated: 21st June 2026

Arup showcased its global energy transition expertise at the Xiong’an International Conference on Cutting-Edge Energy Technologies and Applications in China. Liu Xin, APAC Business Development Director, Ling-Fei Wang, Director, and Patrick Cooper Diaz-Ufano, Alternative Fuels Specialist, were invited to attend, with Patrick speaking on scaling green fuels and enhancing energy resilience.

The conference brought together representatives from government, industry, academia, and organisations from around the world to explore how innovative technologies can be translated into scalable, real-world solutions. Held in Xiong’an New Area, a rapidly developing hub for green and low-carbon innovation in China, the event focused on accelerating the deployment of next-generation energy systems and supporting global decarbonisation.

Bridging renewable energy and global demand

In his presentation on “Power-to-X export hubs for regional energy resilience”, Patrick highlighted the critical role of maritime infrastructure in enabling large-scale decarbonisation. While renewable energy capacity continues to grow, he noted that achieving net zero depends on the ability to convert and transport clean energy efficiently across regions and sectors.

Power-to-X hubs provide this essential link by transforming renewable electricity into transportable fuels such as green ammonia and green methanol. These energy carriers are increasingly seen as key to decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors, including heavy industry, shipping and aviation.

Drawing on Arup’s global experience, Patrick outlined several priorities for the successful development of these hubs. Large-scale infrastructure is needed to support production and international distribution, while solutions must be tailored to local conditions and resource availability. Ensuring safety, operational efficiency, and long-term resilience is critical throughout both construction and operation. Above all, close collaboration between developers, policymakers, investors and end-users is essential to unlock investment and deliver projects at scale.

Patrick Cooper Diaz-Ufano, Alternative Fuels Specialist, speaking on scaling green fuels and enhancing energy resilience.

Patrick Cooper Diaz-Ufano, Alternative Fuels Specialist, presenting on “Power-to-X export hubs for regional energy resilience”.

Patrick highlighted the critical role of maritime infrastructure in enabling large-scale decarbonisation, drawing on Arup's global experience.

Arup showcased its global energy transition expertise at the Xiong’an International Conference

Liu Xin, APAC Business Development Director, at the conference.

Supporting China’s low-carbon transition

The conference underscored the growing momentum of China’s energy transition, particularly in Hebei Province and Xiong’an New Area, which are positioning themselves as centres for innovation in integrated energy systems spanning wind, solar, hydrogen and storage.

Arup’s participation reflects its ongoing commitment to supporting clients across Asia and globally in designing and delivering low-carbon, resilient energy solutions. By combining local insight with international expertise, the firm is helping to advance green fuel value chains, enable infrastructure development, and accelerate the transition from pilot projects to large-scale implementation.

Driving collaboration for a sustainable energy future

With support from international organisations and industry leaders, the event highlighted the importance of collaboration in advancing new energy technologies. As the energy transition moves from ambition to execution, sharing knowledge and aligning on practical solutions will be key to realising impact at scale.

“Over the past 20 years of visiting China, I have consistently valued the practical, rational and level-headed discussions that take place at events like this,” said Stefan Gsänger, Secretary General of World Wind Energy Association who was also invited to the conference. He noted the opportunity for Chinese stakeholders to play a more active role in extending this dialogue internationally, helping to bring the same spirit of constructive exchange to conferences and platforms beyond China.

Through its contribution in Xiong’an, Arup continues to support the development of integrated, future-ready energy systems — helping to connect innovation with real-world applications and deliver meaningful progress towards a net zero future.