Recently, the State Council issued the “Carbon Peak Action Plan for the 15th Five-Year Plan Period” (hereinafter referred to as the “Action Plan”), making arrangements for the carbon peak work during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.
The “Action Plan” states that by 2030, China’s carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP will be reduced by 17% compared to 2025, and the proportion of non-fossil energy consumption will reach 25%. This will ensure the timely achievement of the carbon peak target, laying a solid foundation for achieving the national self-commitment targets by 2035 and promoting carbon neutrality.
The “Action Plan” has deployed five key tasks. Firstly, it aims to accelerate the optimization of energy structure and promote the development of non-fossil energy, enhance the capacity of the power system to accommodate new energy, vigorously promote the clean substitution of coal consumption, and continuously optimize the consumption structure of oil and gas. Secondly, it focuses on promoting the green and low-carbon transformation of industries, encouraging the green and low-carbon transformation of the industrial structure, carrying out energy conservation and carbon reduction renovations in traditional industries, accelerating the construction of zero-carbon parks and zero-carbon factories, promoting the green and low-carbon transformation of computing facilities, and leveraging the role of circular economy in reducing carbon emissions. Thirdly, it deepens the green and low-carbon transformation in key areas, promoting energy conservation and carbon reduction in the construction sector and public institutions, accelerating the low-carbon transformation in the transportation sector, and consolidating and enhancing the carbon sink capacity of ecosystems. Fourthly, it strengthens support and guarantees, improving the legal and regulatory framework, perfecting the carbon emission statistics and accounting system, strengthening scientific and technological support and talent cultivation, enhancing financial support, improving pricing policies, and establishing market mechanisms. Fifthly, it unites all parties’ efforts, clarifying local responsibilities, launching green and low-carbon public actions, and deepening green and low-carbon international cooperation.
The “Action Plan” also outlines a series of key projects, including inter-provincial power mutual assistance, clean substitution of coal consumption, energy conservation and carbon reduction in key industries, low-carbon and zero-carbon heating and cooling, construction of zero-carbon transportation corridors, and enhancement of the foundation capabilities for carbon peak and carbon neutrality.
The “15-15″ Carbon Peak Action Plan
The “14th Five-Year Plan” period is a crucial and challenging phase for achieving carbon peak. In order to implement the decisions and arrangements of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, and to actively and steadily promote and achieve carbon peak, as well as accelerate the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development, in accordance with relevant requirements such as the Environmental Protection Law Code and the “Comprehensive Evaluation and Assessment Measures for Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality”, this plan has been formulated.
I. Accelerating the Optimization of Energy Structure
(1) Vigorously promote the development of non-fossil energy. Adhere to the multi-energy combination of wind, solar, water, and nuclear power, and develop new energy more vigorously. Coordinate the development and utilization layout and ensure the consumption and utilization. Expand the effective supply of non-fossil energy. Build clean energy bases such as wind and photovoltaic power in the “Northwest and Northeast”, water and wind-solar integration in the southwest, coastal nuclear power, and offshore wind power. Actively develop distributed photovoltaic and decentralized wind power, promote the large-scale development of concentrated solar power, ocean energy power generation, and utilize biomass energy and geothermal energy based on local conditions. Layout and build integrated bases of wind, solar, hydrogen, ammonia, and alcohol. Accelerate the coverage of new electricity consumption by new clean energy electricity. By 2030, the total installed capacity of wind and solar power will reach over 2.8 billion kilowatts, the installed capacity of conventional hydropower will reach about 410 million kilowatts, and the operating capacity of nuclear power will reach about 110 million kilowatts.
(2) Accelerate the improvement of the power system’s ability to accommodate new energy. Adapt to the development trend of new energy, strengthen the power system’s ability to accept, configure, and regulate new energy. Enhance cross-provincial and cross-regional transmission and complementary and mutual assistance capabilities, accelerate the construction of ultra-high voltage transmission channels, increase the capacity of west-to-east power transmission by over 80 million kilowatts, and vigorously promote the construction of inter-provincial power mutual assistance projects. Support the local consumption of new energy, actively develop green power direct connection, and nearby access of new energy to incremental distribution networks, promote integrated development of source, grid, load, and storage. Continuously expand the scale of adjustment resources in the power system, adhere to ecological priority, demand orientation, and optimized layout, and carry out the construction of pumped storage power stations based on local conditions; promote the large-scale development of new energy storage; explore the potential for demand-side regulation, accelerate the development of virtual power plants, and promote the participation of various dispersed resources such as adjustable loads in system regulation. Gradually clarify the minimum proportion target of renewable energy consumption for key energy-consuming industries. By 2030, the installed capacity of pumped storage power stations will reach about 160 million kilowatts, the installed capacity of new energy storage will strive to reach 300 million kilowatts, the maximum regulation capacity of the national virtual power plant will reach over 50 million kilowatts, and the power demand response capacity will reach 5% of the maximum electricity load.
(3) Deeply promote the clean substitution of coal consumption. Reasonably control the installed capacity and power generation of coal-fired power plants, promote the transformation of coal-fired power plants to support and regulation power sources, and support the integration of coal-fired power and new energy. Carry out low-carbon transformation of coal-fired power units, carry out heat decoupling transformation of thermal power units in northern regions under the premise of not affecting heating, support the construction of heat storage facilities in thermal power plants. Strengthen research and development and application of efficient and energy-saving coal-fired power units and their auxiliary equipment. Legally and in accordance with regulations, completely eliminate and shut down coal-fired power units (including self-owned units) that do not meet environmental protection, energy consumption, coal use, safety, and age requirements. Actively promote self-owned power units to participate in grid peak shaving. Promote the low-carbon transformation of coal chemical industry, reduce the coal consumption and carbon emissions per unit product, and support the coupling development of coal chemical projects with green electricity and green hydrogen. Vigorously promote the clean substitution of coal-fired boilers and coal-fired industrial kilns, completely eliminate coal-fired boilers with a capacity of 10 tons per hour or less, and gradually replace small and medium-sized coal-fired boilers in various industries. “One enterprise, one policy” promotes the implementation of coal consumption reduction and reduction plans for coal-using enterprises. Support qualified regions to implement equal or reduced coal consumption replacement for new non-”two high” projects.
(4) Continuously optimize the consumption structure of oil and gas. Actively promote the application of green fuels such as green hydrogen ammonia alcohol, bio-diesel, and sustainable aviation fuel. Promote the substitution of chemical oil use, explore the application of green hydrogen ammonia alcohol in the chemical industry, and steadily promote the substitution of industrial power and heat use oil. Guide the growth of natural gas consumption to remain within a reasonable range, give priority to ensuring domestic gas supply, reasonably guide the gas use of key industries and enterprises, and build natural gas peaking power plants based on local conditions. Strengthen the conservation of oil and gas resources at all production and consumption links, improve the utilization efficiency of oil and gas resources.
II. Promoting Green and Low-Carbon Industrial Development
(5) Promote the green and low-carbon transformation of the industrial structure. Steadily and orderly carry out the resolution of structural contradictions in key industries, and legally and in accordance with regulations, eliminate backward and inefficient production capacity and equipment. Strengthen the standardized management of cement production capacity. Effectively control “high energy consumption and high pollution” projects, strengthen the source control, strictly conduct energy conservation and carbon reduction review and evaluation, and implement the requirements of carbon emission equivalent or reduction replacement for new (renovation, expansion) “high energy consumption and high pollution” industrial projects. Accelerate the development of green energy, green manufacturing, and green services and other green and low-carbon industries, continuously enhance the competitive advantages of new energy, new energy vehicles, battery power, etc. industries, and cultivate hydrogen, green fuel, etc. industries. Support the development of carbon management service industries, promote third-party governance models such as contract energy management, and promote the application of digital and intelligent technologies to green and low-carbon development.
(6) Carry out energy conservation and carbon reduction renovations in traditional industries. Focus on the main energy-using equipment, devices, and processes in key industries, comprehensively implement energy conservation and carbon reduction renovations, vigorously promote the application of energy-saving and low-carbon technologies and equipment, strengthen the innovation of low-carbon processes and digital transformation, and effectively improve energy and resource utilization efficiency and reduce carbon emission levels. Strengthen energy conservation supervision, improve the energy efficiency diagnosis mechanism in key fields. During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, the carbon dioxide emissions per unit of industrial added value of large-scale industries will be reduced by more than 17%, the energy consumption per unit of industrial added value will be reduced by more than 10%, the energy consumption per unit of GDP will be reduced by about 10%, and the energy-saving capacity of more than 150 million tons of standard coal will be achieved through the energy conservation and carbon reduction renovations in key industries.
(7) Accelerate the construction of zero-carbon parks and zero-carbon factories. High-standard promote the construction of national zero-carbon parks, issue guidelines for zero-carbon park construction, support localities to carry out low-carbon and zero-carbon renovations of parks based on local conditions. Guide new projects to prioritize clustering in zero-carbon parks, accelerate the formation of “green production based on green” industrial clusters, encourage existing loads in zero-carbon parks to directly connect green electricity, support the application of new and low-carbon heating technologies and new models. Vigorously promote the construction of zero-carbon factories, support qualified industrial enterprises to carry out green electricity direct connection, collaboratively promote the construction and application of industrial green micro-grids, digital energy and carbon management centers, and strive to improve the local consumption level of renewable energy. During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, about 100 national zero-carbon parks and 500 zero-carbon factories will be constructed.
(8) Promote the green and low-carbon transformation of computing facilities. Strengthen the coordinated layout of computing facilities with renewable energy, support the supply of green electricity, reasonably configure energy storage, backup power sources and other supporting facilities, promote the main use of non-fossil energy electricity for newly built computing facilities. Improve the energy conservation and carbon reduction standards for computing facilities, promote the energy conservation and carbon reduction renovations of non-compliant computing facilities, orderly eliminate backward and inefficient technologies and equipment, and improve the energy efficiency level of computing facilities. Accelerate the construction of green computing facilities, encourage the construction of zero-carbon computing facilities.
(9) Play the role of circular economy in reducing carbon emissions. Vigorously promote the resource circular production model, strengthen the comprehensive utilization of waste, energy cascade utilization, and water resource recycling, and promote the resource utilization of wastewater, waste gas, waste liquid, and waste residue. Accelerate the improvement of the waste recycling network, promote the “Internet +” recycling model, and smooth the “exchange + recycling” channels. Strengthen the standardized recycling and refined utilization of waste electrical and electronic products, waste batteries, retired wind and photovoltaic equipment, scrapped vehicles, and scrapped agricultural machinery, expand the channels for the comprehensive utilization of bulk solid wastes such as fly ash, coal gangue, agricultural residues, and livestock manure, accelerate the application of new and low-carbon heating technologies and new models. Vigorously promote the construction of zero-carbon factories, support qualified industrial enterprises to carry out green electricity direct connection, collaboratively promote the construction and application of industrial green micro-grids, digital energy and carbon management centers, and strive to enhance the supporting role of resource recycling in resource security.
Post time: Jul-15-2026
