The CIGRE 2024 Conference was held in Paris, France, from August 25 to 30. At the opening ceremony on August 25, CIGRE President Michel Augonnet delivered the opening remarks, with 4,480 experts from around the world attending this significant event. During the awards ceremony, the CIGRE President announced the list of award winners and invited them to the stage for congratulations. The conference presented the CIGRE Medal, CIGRE Fellow, Honorary Membership Award, Young Contributions Award, and Women Engineers Award. Among the recipients, Professor He Jinliang, Director of the High Voltage and Insulation Technology Institute at Tsinghua University, was elected as a CIGRE Fellow for his outstanding contributions to lightning and overvoltage protection technologies in power systems.

CIGRE President Michel Augonnet congratulates Professor He Jinliang on his election as a CIGRE Fellow

Newly elected CIGRE President Konstantin Papailiou presented the CIGRE Fellow certificate to Professor He Jinliang

Professor He Jinliang has served for many years as the National Committee Member for China on CIGRE's Working Group C4 (System Characteristics), where he has been responsible as a convener for three working groups, including C4.26 "Assessment Methods for Lightning Strike Characteristics of Ultra-High Voltage Transmission Lines," C4/A3.53 "Low Residual Voltage Lightning Arresters and Their Application Effects for Suppressing Overvoltage in Ultra-High Voltage AC Systems," and C4.61 "Lightning Transient Sensing, Monitoring, and Application in Power Systems." Additionally, he has participated in the work of 13 other CIGRE working groups. His election as a CIGRE Fellow has garnered warm congratulations and unanimous praise from peers and experts both domestically and internationally, marking the significant recognition of Chinese experts' contributions to electrical engineering by a renowned international organization.

The International Council on Large Electric Systems (CIGRE) was established in March 1921 and is headquartered in Paris, France. It is a leading, non-profit international electrical engineering organization aimed at promoting the international exchange of technical knowledge in the fields of power generation, transmission, large power grids, and distribution. The annual conference is held in Paris every even-numbered year and is one of the most important international conferences in the field of electrical technology. To recognize experts who have made outstanding contributions to CIGRE’s technical work, CIGRE launched the Fellow selection system in 2014, electing five individuals from global nominations every two years. Currently, only 35 experts worldwide have received this honor. After being nominated, candidates are reviewed by the CIGRE Awards Committee, which provides a recommended list, followed by deliberation by the Guiding Committee, with final confirmation by the CIGRE Council.