On August 29, The State Council Information Office released the White Paper titled "China's Energy Transition". At the press conference held on the same day, Zhang Jianhua, Director of the National Energy Administration, and others introduced the relevant situation.
Investment in the energy transition reached US $676 billion last year, making an important contribution to the global green transition.
Zhang Jianhua said that the white paper introduces the practical achievements of China's energy transition, mainly reflected in four "new".
New breakthroughs have been made in clean energy development. By the end of 2023, the installed capacity of wind power and photovoltaic power has increased by 10 times compared with 10 years ago, the installed capacity of clean energy power generation has accounted for 58.2 percent of the total installed capacity, and the newly added clean energy power generation has accounted for more than half of the increase in electricity consumption in society. The amount of "green" energy in China has been increasing.
New achievements was made in the clean and efficient use of energy. Over the past 10 years, China has eliminated more than 100 million kilowatts of outdated coal-fired power generation capacity, and reduced pollutant emissions in the power industry by more than 90%. The electrification rate of terminal energy consumption in the whole society has reached 28 percent. Compared with 2012, energy consumption per unit of GDP has dropped by over 26%.
New developments have been made in green energy technologies. It has built a research and development, design, and manufacturing system for the entire wind power and photovoltaic industry chain, fully mastered the fourth-generation nuclear power technology of the large-scale third-generation pressurized water reactor and high-temperature gas-cooled reactor, and the entire hydropower industrial chain system is a global leader.
New progress was made in reforming the energy system. A diversified energy market structure has been gradually constructed, a unified and open energy market system has been gradually improved, and an energy price mechanism that reflects the relationship between market supply and demand has gradually taken shape. The role of the market in improving clean energy consumption, ensuring electricity supply, and promoting optimal allocation of resources has become increasingly apparent.
Wan Jinsong, Deputy Director of the National Energy Administration, said that over the past 10 years, the investment in fixed assets in the energy sector has accumulated about 39 trillion yuan. The total investment in the central budget for the renovation and upgrading of rural power grids exceeded 100 billion yuan, prompting local governments and enterprises to increase investment. In 2015, a historic solution was made to the problem of providing electricity to all people without access to electricity.
China's investment in energy transition reached $676 billion in 2023, the highest energy transition investment in the world. The export of wind power and photovoltaic products in 2023 helped other countries reduce about 810 million tons of carbon dioxide. "China's new energy industry has not only enriches global supply and promotes the reduction of global energy transition costs, but also makes an important contribution to the global green transition and the fight against climate change." "Wan Jinsong said.
The goal of "dual carbon" will remain firmly set, and we will promptly carry out preliminary research on the 15th Five-Year Plan
China proposed in 2020 that the total installed capacity of wind power and solar power will reach over 1.2 billion kilowatts by 2030. By the end of July this year, the total installed capacity of wind and solar power had reached 1.206 billion kilowatts, achieving the target six years ahead of schedule.
Li Chuangjun, director of the New Energy and Renewable Energy Department of the National Energy Administration, said that China's commitment to the "dual carbon" goal is certain and unalterable. Based on the national conditions, adhering to the principles of fairness, common but differentiated responsibilities, and respective capabilities, new goals and measures through scientific planning and research will be proposed to make greater contributions to jointly addressing climate change and building a clean and beautiful earth.
Song Wen, director of the Legal and Institutional Reform Department of the National Energy Administration, said that great efforts are still needed to achieve the "dual carbon" goal. The energy industry is working hard to carry out preliminary studies on the "15th Five-Year Plan", and will make greater efforts to promote high-quality development of new energy, carry out solid green and low-carbon energy transformation, and promote the average annual increase of the proportion of non-fossil energy consumption by about 1 percentage point.
“The decision” of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China proposes to deepen the reform of the energy management system. Zhang Jianhua introduced that energy reform will be deepened, energy rule of law will be improved, planning guidance will be strengthened, and energy supervision will be strengthened.
In terms of deepening energy reform, through the construction of a unified national power market system, we will continue to expand the coverage of the power spot market, and further improve the level of optimal allocation of power resources. We will establish a sound mechanism for green and low-carbon development, and accelerate the cultivation of green electricity and green license markets. We will improve policies for the consumption and regulation of new energy, and promote the safe, reliable and orderly replacement of fossil energy by non-fossil energy. We will promote independent operation of natural monopolies and market-oriented reform of competitive links.
The total amount of charging facilities reached 10.6 million units, and the approved total installed capacity of nuclear power units under operation and construction ranks first in the world.
Regarding the issue of electric vehicle charging infrastructure construction that everyone is concerned about, Wan Jinsong introduced that the National Energy Administration mainly carries out work from the aspects of "three improvements and two promotions".
Improve the policy system. Policy documents such as the implementation opinions on further improving the service and guarantee capacity of electric vehicle charging infrastructure have been issued, and policy support has been provided in terms of planning and layout, construction and operation, supporting power grids, price incentives and subsidies, and specific work arrangements have been made.
Improve the charging network. By the end of July, the total number of charging facilities in China had reached 10.6 million, effectively guaranteeing the charging demand of over 25 million new energy vehicles. The radius of public charging service in the central urban areas of first-tier cities is already comparable to that of gas stations. At present, 95 percent of highway service areas have charging capacity, and more than one-third of provinces have deployed charging facilities to all towns and villages.
Improve the standards system. A total of 106 standards related to electric vehicle charging facilities have been released, and the safety control level of the industrial chain has been further improved. The high-power DC charging standard is at the international leading level, and breakthroughs have also been made in the fields of wireless charging, charging roaming and other fields. China has formed a charging standard system equal to that of the United States, Europe and Japan.
Promote the rapid upgrading of charging technology. Multiple technological development routes have been formed, including conduction charging, battery replacement and wireless charging. The DC charging power module has been fully localized, and the cost has dropped by 90% in the past five years. We will promote the formation of an industrial ecosystem. The equipment scale of private enterprises accounts for more than 70% of the charging station operation enterprises.
Wan Jinsong said the construction of high-quality charging infrastructure will be accelerated to help the green and low-carbon development of the transportation industry. "I believe that with the continuous improvement of the charging infrastructure construction layout and service system, the phenomenon of slow charging and difficult charging in local areas and individual periods will be alleviated, and the charging experience of the majority of car owners will be more comfortable."
China is actively developing nuclear power in a safe and orderly manner, and the nuclear power technology has a complete industrial chain. There are currently 102 nuclear power units approved for operation and construction in mainland China, with a total installed capacity of over 113 million kilowatts, ranking first in the world. The operating nuclear power unit maintains a state of multiple and full power generation, fully utilizing the supporting role of the base load power supply. The installed capacity accounts for less than 2%, and the proportion of generated electricity is close to 5%.
Zhang Jianhua introduced that China will coordinate development and safety, ensure a smooth and orderly construction pace, actively promote the comprehensive utilization of nuclear energy in heating, gas supply, seawater desalination and other aspects, steadily increase the proportion of nuclear power in energy and electricity consumption, and provide strong support for promoting the energy revolution and green and low-carbon development. China will also actively participate in global nuclear power construction, share China's experience and contribute to the global response to climate change.
