15. State Grid
Rank: 15 (Previous rank: 24)
CEO: Liu Zhenya Employees: 1,537,000 Address: 86 Xichang'an Ave. Beijing, 100031 Country: China Website: www.sgcc.com.cn China's biggest power company -- dogged by natural disasters, high coal prices, and a slowing economy -- saw earnings fall by 80% in 2008. Its year was a tale of under-supply and overcapacity. In the first half of 2008, state-owned China State Grid contended with a massive earthquake and the worst winter snowstorms in 50 years. At the same time, the price of coal used in its power plants spiked before the government ordered a cap. That led to rolling power shortages in the country. Later in the year, just as State Grid received increased coal shipments, growth in China's demand for power slowed for the first time since 1999. However the long-term outlook remains rosy: China's power demand and supply is expected to double by 2020. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Industry: Utilities
|
...What Readers Say
They speak out on State Grid and other 500 companies...
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Company | 2008 Number of Employees |
|---|---|
| Wal-Mart Stores | 2,100,000 |
| China National Petroleum | 1,618,393 |
| State Grid | 1,537,000 |
| Company | 2008 Profits ($ millions) |
|---|---|
| Exxon Mobil | $45,220 |
| Gazprom | $29,864 |
| Royal Dutch Shell | $26,277 |
FAQ and methodology
All companies on the list must publish financial data and report part or all of their figures to a government agency. In the U.S., private companies and cooperatives... More
