Edinburgh, October 25, 2024 – Events of the General Meeting of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and sessions of the IEC Management Board have been finished. Russian delegation was headed by CEO of GOST R Anton Shalaev in the format of videoconference. The delegation included representatives of the Russian Standardization Institute and experts of Technical Committees working in the field of electrical equipment. Thematic round tables, sessions of the IEC Management Board and Technical Committees were organized within the framework of the IEC General Meeting.
This year, events of the IEC General Meeting were held to coincide with the 200th anniversary of birth of Lord William Thomson Kelvin, the great British physicist, honorary member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, who initiated creation of the International Electrotechnical Commission in 1906. The Russian Empire joined IEC in 1911 and later the USSR, and then the Russian Federation have been permanent and Full Member of international standardization in the field of electrical engineering since 1991. Representative of our country, academician Valery Popkov headed IEC as its President in the period from 1974 to 1978. Today, IEC unites 89 Full Members and 75 Associate Members.
IEC President Jo Cops noted in his welcome address to IEC participants that IEC remained committed to continuing its legacy and ensuring positive impact of technology on creating a better, more inclusive and sustainable world.
Digitalization and technological development have traditionally been the main topic of the IEC General Meeting. Thus, digital sessions on SMART standards, their use for conformity assessment and development in Technical Committees took place. Important topics of discussion were artificial intelligence technologies, robotics, intellectualization in power generation systems, transmission and distribution. Creation, implementation and development of a new digital platform for joint standards development became one of key topics. Discussions on development of cybersecurity standards to protect infrastructure and consumers, as well as the integrated development of artificial intelligence technologies, digital twins and modeling were held in the framework of the IEC General Meeting.
Participants discussed initiatives on standardization in the field of quantum technologies, equipment and protection systems for explosive environments, communication equipment and other similar household devices and other issues in the framework of the sessions of IEC Technical Committees. Representatives of the Russian delegation actively participated in these sessions of IEC Technical Committees.
Speaking about the importance of transformation for building an electrified and digitalized future, IEC Secretary-General & CEO Philippe Metzger highlighted: "We are on the threshold of a new era: the world where technologies are being developed, implemented and used with unprecedented force and speed, and are changing lives more profoundly than ever. In this context, our vision of "IEC everywhere for a safer and more efficient world" is more relevant than ever."
