Infrastructure

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Infrastructure provides the basic systems and services that allow modern civilisation to function. These include public works such as roads, utilities, and public buildings. Resilient infrastructure enables economic growth and is part of SDG 9. The 2018 Global Infrastructure Outlook by the G20 estimates that there will be a 600bn USD shortfall in global infrastructure spending by 2032. Infrastructure can be provided by the public sector, private sector, or both. In recent years, there has been a rising trend for middle income countries to fund infrastructure through Public Private Partnerships (PPP). In 2015, the Third International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa recognised the importance of PPPs for developing countries. Chinese companies are the largest construction companies in the world owing to the size of the domestic market. In 2018, China State Construction Engineering Corporation Limited was the largest by sales (118.4bn USD) followed by China Railway Group (112bn), China Railway Construction Group (110bn), China Communications Construction Company Limited (73.9bn), and French company Vinci (51.4bn). Chinese companies are also working in many countries around the world through the Chinese government’s Belt and Road initiative. The largest electricity companies by electricity generation in 2017 were China Energy Investment Group (230 GW), China Huaneng Group (172 GW), China Huadian Group (146 GW), China Datang Corp. (138 GW), and Electricite de France SA (129 GW). According to the IEA, the largest sources of electricity generation in 2015 were coal (39 percent), natural gas (23 percent), hydro (16 percent), and nuclear (11 percent). Despite the current dominance of coal, there is a growing trend towards renewable energy including distributed energy resources because of the threat of climate change. Denmark, Norway, and Sweden are committed to 100 percent renewable energy use.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]