Shanghai Daily news

The State Grid Corporation of China yesterday signed an agreement to become the eighth global partner of World Expo Shanghai 2010.

State Grid, the world's biggest public utility company, will provide electricity and related services to the event.

The company pledged to build two 220-kilovolt electric substations and five 110-kilovolt electric substations at the Expo site.

Also, the mainland's largest and most advanced 500-kilovolt power substation, which started construction at the beginning of this year in the city's Jing'an District by the company, will provide electricity directly to the Expo site.

The new substation, which will be on Beijing Road W in the downtown area, only 1,000 meters from People's Square, covers a 53,000-square-meter underground area and a 1,590-square-meter above-ground surface.

State Grid, No. 29 in the 2007 Fortune 500 companies, would not only be the sponsor for Expo, said Shanghai Vice Mayor Yang Xiong at the signing ceremony yesterday. It would also play an essential preparation role for the event.

The state-owned company will use its wide-operation coverage in 26 provinces and regions in China to promote World Expo Shanghai, its deputy General Manager Cao Zhi'an said.

World Expo 2010's global partners can use the brand to promote its business globally. Global partners also get priority status to open a corporate pavilion at the site.

China Eastern Airlines, China Mobile, China Telecom, the Bank of Communications, a joint of Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation Group and General Motors, Siemens and Coca-Cola are also global partners of World Expo 2010.

China Mobile has confirmed it will build a corporate pavilion. SAIC and GM decided to construct a joint one.