National Energy Administration: Will release and implement new energy system and series of sector-specific energy plans

National Energy Administration Official WeChat Message Today: Director of Planning at the National Energy Administration, Ren Yuzhi, stated that 2026 is the inaugural year of the 14th Five-Year Plan. We will release and implement new energy systems and a series of sector-specific energy plans, deeply practice the new energy security strategy, accelerate the construction of a new energy system, promote the building of a strong energy nation, and provide solid energy support for the fundamental realization of socialist modernization. Among these, engineering projects are an important means of implementing the plan; we must strengthen the principle that “projects follow the plan.” On one hand, we will steadily advance the construction of strategic landmark major projects, safely and orderly promote the Yaji Water Power Project, and plan the development of the “Three North” wind and solar bases, Southwest water, wind, and solar integrated bases, coastal nuclear power bases, and offshore wind power bases, while optimizing the construction of backbone channels for electricity, oil, and gas. On the other hand, we will accelerate the development of a batch of “small and beautiful” projects, implement upgrades to electric vehicle charging networks, plan the construction of several wind, solar, hydrogen, and ammonia integration bases, build a number of CSP (concentrated solar power) projects, establish zero-carbon parks, and promote the green transformation of thermal systems.

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Striving to Initially Build a New Energy System in the 14th Five-Year Plan

Director of Development Planning at the National Energy Administration, Ren Yuzhi

Energy is an essential material foundation for economic and social development. The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China first proposed accelerating the planning and construction of a new energy system. The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee further clarified that by the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan, a new energy system will be initially established and a strong energy nation built. This is a new deployment and requirement made by the Party Central Committee based on a profound understanding of global energy development trends and China’s energy development position, providing fundamental guidance and an action blueprint for energy development. Over the past year, we have fully promoted the conclusion of the 14th Five-Year Plan for energy, planned the direction and path for energy development in the 15th Five-Year period, and coordinated the research and drafting of the “14th Five-Year Plan for Building a New Energy System.”

Successful Completion of the 14th Five-Year Energy Plan

Under the guidance of the new energy security strategy of “Four Revolutions, One Cooperation,” we coordinated high-quality energy development and high-level security, ensuring the timely completion of the 14 major indicators, 19 key strategic tasks, and 34 major projects set out in the 14th Five-Year Plan, laying a solid foundation for building a new energy system.

Energy security capabilities have reached a new level: primary energy production exceeded 5 billion tons of standard coal, self-sufficiency remained stable above 80%, and the major arteries of West-to-East electricity transmission, West-to-East natural gas transmission, and North-to-South coal transportation continued to expand, strongly supporting stable and sufficient energy supply. Green and low-carbon transformation has achieved leapfrog development, creating the world’s largest and fastest-growing renewable energy system. Nearly half of the energy demand increase during the 14th Five-Year period was met by non-fossil energy, with non-fossil energy accounting for over 20% of total energy consumption. Innovation and reform vitality have been continuously released: the Baihetan hydropower station, the world’s first high-temperature gas-cooled reactor, the “Deep Sea One” energy station, and other major national projects have been completed and put into operation; large-scale development of new energy storage and hydrogen industries has been achieved; a unified national electricity market has accelerated, with green certificate transactions surpassing 1.4 billion, and new models such as direct green power connection have flourished. International cooperation has opened new chapters: energy imports remain stable, cooperation on green energy projects with over 100 countries and regions has expanded, and China’s influence and discourse power in global energy governance have significantly increased.

Looking back over the past five years, we have focused on improving an energy planning system that is accurately positioned, clearly bounded, functionally complementary, and seamlessly connected, promoting the formation of a “whole-country chessboard” for energy planning, and better leveraging energy planning to lead, guide, and regulate energy development. We have promoted the enactment of the “Energy Law of the People’s Republic of China,” revised and issued the “Energy Planning Management Measures,” improved the implementation mechanism of planning, carried out dynamic monitoring and evaluation of plan implementation, strengthened supervision of local efforts to implement national energy plans, and ensured that the blueprint is followed through to the end. These efforts will provide strong institutional guarantees and practical experience for further improving energy planning work.

New Situations and Requirements for Energy Development

The world is experiencing profound changes unseen in a century: the global energy landscape is undergoing deep adjustments, a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is accelerating breakthroughs, and green low-carbon transformation has become the main trend of energy development. The internal and external environment for building a new energy system in China is undergoing profound and complex changes.

Uncertainty factors are increasing, posing greater challenges to energy security. Internationally, global turmoil and instability are intensifying, with energy becoming a strategic competition focus. The trend of forming global energy trade blocs is becoming more apparent, with fierce competition over resource rights, channel rights, and market rights. Some of China’s energy resource imports face greater uncertainty. Meanwhile, global oil and gas supply and demand are generally loose, with declining prices, which is favorable for China to better coordinate domestic and international markets and resources. Domestically, steady economic and social development drives rigid growth in energy demand, with more pronounced peak loads and widening peak-valley differences. The scale of the energy system continues to expand, its complexity increases sharply, and risks from extreme weather, cyberattacks, and chain failures are rising, making system dispatching, operation control, and risk defense more difficult.

Achieving carbon peaking imposes higher requirements on energy transformation. Energy is the main battlefield for reaching carbon peaking. During the 15th Five-Year period, accelerating the transformation of energy production and consumption methods still faces a series of challenges. On one hand, the increase in energy consumption mainly relies on non-fossil energy sources, with wind, solar, hydro, and nuclear industries experiencing greater development space, requiring enhanced safety, reliability, and system integration capacity of new energy, and strengthening project construction elements. Meanwhile, traditional fossil energy faces dual pressures of ensuring safety and reducing carbon emissions. On the other hand, the emergence of diverse market entities and new business models is accelerating, with traditional and new energy functions shifting and interests deeply adjusting. Market mechanisms that reflect the differentiated values of energy security support, system regulation, and green attributes need to be established.

Technological innovation injects stronger momentum into the development of new productive forces. Internationally, major countries are strengthening strategic deployment of energy technology, with energy tech innovation entering an intensive active period. Leading nations are increasing R&D and application of frontier technologies such as hydrogen, solid-state batteries, advanced nuclear power, and marine energy. Artificial intelligence is becoming a new variable reshaping the international energy landscape, potentially driving systemic changes in energy production, transmission, and consumption. Domestically, China’s energy technology has entered a stage of catching up and some leading positions, with many new technologies and industries flourishing, maintaining a world-leading position in new energy and new storage technologies. However, challenges remain, including insufficient original innovation capacity, shortcomings in some key core technologies and equipment, and the need to strengthen integrated innovation across industry, academia, and research.

Solidly Promoting the Construction of a New Energy System in the 15th Five-Year Plan

2026 marks the beginning of the 15th Five-Year Plan. We will release and implement the new energy system and sector-specific energy plans, deeply practice the new energy security strategy, accelerate the building of a new energy system, promote the construction of a strong energy country, and provide strong energy support for the basic realization of socialist modernization.

Improve energy development layout: coordinate energy and economy, total volume and structure, national and regional, domestic and international; optimize the layout and flow of energy resource bases; strengthen local energy balance and cross-provincial resource allocation; enhance energy self-sufficiency in eastern regions, aiming for over 70% of the energy consumption increase in the 15th Five-Year period to be met by local production; better transform resource advantages in western regions into development advantages, and coordinate industrial transfer with clean energy deployment; optimize backbone energy channels and build important corridors for energy product circulation.

Strengthen target indicators: they are the “command baton” for energy development. The overall goal for the 15th Five-Year period is to initially establish a new energy system. Key objectives include: ensuring sufficient supply capacity to meet normal and abnormal fluctuations; optimizing energy structure with renewable energy becoming the main power source, reaching 25% of energy consumption from non-fossil sources, and increasing the share of electricity in terminal energy consumption by about 1 percentage point annually; updating system form with more resilient, green, low-carbon, integrated, and intelligent infrastructure; and deepening the integration of energy technological and industrial innovation, accelerating the improvement of market and pricing mechanisms suitable for a new energy system.

Promote key tasks: first, strengthen the construction of new energy infrastructure, expand non-fossil energy supply systems, and build a new power system compatible with high proportions of renewable energy; second, establish resilient energy supply chains, solidify strategic, operational, and emergency security foundations, and enhance energy security under open conditions; third, accelerate the green and low-carbon transformation of energy consumption, peak coal and oil consumption, and promote clean terminal energy use; fourth, strengthen technological independence and innovation, improve key technical equipment, and modernize the industrial chain; fifth, improve institutional guarantees for high-quality energy development, accelerate the construction of a unified national energy market, and perfect energy laws, standards, and regulatory systems.

Build major engineering projects: projects are a key means of plan implementation; we must reinforce that “projects follow the plan.” On one hand, steadily advance strategic landmark projects, safely and orderly promote the Yaji Hydropower Project, develop the “Three North” wind and solar bases, Southwest water, wind, and solar integrated bases, coastal nuclear power bases, and offshore wind bases, while optimizing backbone channels for electricity, oil, and gas. On the other hand, accelerate the development of a batch of “small and beautiful” projects, upgrade electric vehicle charging networks, plan the construction of several wind, solar, hydrogen, and ammonia integration bases, build CSP projects, establish zero-carbon parks, and promote the green transformation of thermal systems.

(Source: People’s Financial News)