signing ceremony

Shanghai Vice Mayor Yang Xiong adresses the ceremony.

Deputy General Manager Cao Zhian of the State Grid speakes at the ceremony.

The State Grid Corporation of China today inked the agreement of becoming 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, mainland' largest and most advanced 500-kilovolt power substation, which started construction at the beginning of 2007 in city's Jing'an District by the company, will provide electricity directly to the Expo event.

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

State Grid, listed as the 29th place in Fortune 500 companies, will not only be the sponsor for the Expo, said Shanghai Vice Mayor Yang Xiong at the signing ceremony today. It will become an essential part in the preparation for the Expo.

The state-owned company will also use its wide-operation coverage in 26 provinces and regions in China to promote World Expo Shanghai, its deputy General Manager Cao Zhian 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 to build a corporate pavilion. SAIC and GM also decided to construct a joint one.