From June 9 to 13, 2025, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 36th Insulator Technical Committee (TC36) Plenary Meeting was successfully held in Beijing. The meeting included WG11, JWG25, MT20 working group meetings, and the 36A Insulator Bushing Subcommittee (SC36A) meeting. The event was co-hosted by IEC, the National Standardization Administration of China (SAC), Tsinghua University, Xi’an High Voltage Electrical Research Institute Co., Ltd. (Xi’an HV), and the State Grid Jibei Electric Power Research Institute (SG Jibei Electric Power Research Institute). The Chair and Secretary of TC36 and SC36A, along with IEC secretaries and more than 80 experts and representatives from nearly 20 countries, including China, France, Germany, Sweden, the UK, Italy, Japan, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, the US, Canada, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Brazil, the UAE, South Korea, and Iran, attended the meeting both online and offline.

Tsinghua University’s Professor Liang Xidong from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Applied Electronics (EEA) gave a speech at the meeting. As the convener of WG11 and MT19 working groups (established in 2017), he introduced the maintenance work carried out on the IEC 60815 "Selection and Dimensioning of High Voltage Insulators for Use in Polluted Conditions" and IEC 62217 "Polymeric Insulators for High Voltage Outdoor and Indoor Use—General Definitions, Test Methods, and Acceptance Criteria" series of standards over the past eight years. Thanks to the sustained efforts and collaboration of experts from member countries, the IEC 60815 and IEC 62217 series standards passed DTS and FDIS voting and are soon to be released. These two standards, as core standards in the field of high-voltage external insulation, have significant technological influence and wide application. Additionally, as the head of the Chinese delegation to TC36, Professor Liang presented China’s proposals for the expansion of standard types within IEC/TC36.

Professor Liang Xidong gave a speech at the meeting

IEC/TC36 is primarily responsible for the standardization of high-voltage system and equipment insulators (including bushings, overhead line insulators, and insulators used in substations and their connectors). In recent years, China has made significant contributions to the TC36 standards revision, with three working group conveners, leading the revision of seven IEC standards, and winning the IEC 1906 Award three times (of which Professor Liang Xidong received two awards). This TC36 meeting aims to review the work of the past two years, discuss advanced insulator technologies, revise existing standards, reappoint working group conveners, examine new project proposals, and promote international collaboration. After an initial review and screening by the National Standardization Administration’s expert working group, three Chinese technical proposals and one technical suggestion were reported at this meeting.

Mr. Eric Moal, Chairman of TC36, hosted the meeting

IEC/SC36A is primarily responsible for the standardization of insulator bushings and their components. Notably, China successfully led the project proposal PT 63634 "General Requirements for Capacitive Bushing Tap Adaptors" this year and became the first convener of an IEC/SC36A working group, marking a historic breakthrough in China’s international standardization efforts in this field. The SC36A meeting aimed to review the work of the past two years, explore advanced technologies in the bushing field, revise current standards, examine new project proposals, and promote international standardization collaboration.

Mr. Lars Jonsson, Chairman of SC36A, hosted the meeting

Xu Quanping from the Standard Innovation Department of National Market Regulation Administration, Zhang Jinbo, Party Secretary and Chairman of Xi’an HV, Tian Yunfeng, Director of SG Jibei Electric Power Research Institute, and Gao Wensheng, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Energy Research Association and Professor at Tsinghua University, attended the meeting and delivered speeches.

This was the first time China hosted the IEC/TC36 plenary meeting. The successful event provided a platform for Chinese experts and their international peers to deepen exchanges, significantly enhancing China’s international influence in the insulator technology field. It also laid the foundation for China to lead future international standardization efforts and promote global deep collaboration. Additionally, the event provided young Chinese technical talents with valuable opportunities for international exchange and exposure.