The 14th Five-Year Comprehensive Work Plan on Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction
According to the plan, by 2025, China aims to reduce energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product by 13.5 % from the 2020 baseline, while keeping total energy consumption at reasonable levels, leading the world in energy efficiency and controlling emissions from major pollutants in key industries.
The plan includes five main parts: general requirements, main objects, key energy conservation and emission reduction projects, policies, and implementation. Provisions relevant to the energy sector are summarized below.
Focus industries
· Focus on steel, non-ferrous metals, construction materials, petrochemical and chemical industries. The plan includes action to upgrade the steel, cement, coking industries and coal-fired boilers to achieve ultra-low emissions. There is a target of completing ultra-low emission transformation for 530 million Mt of steel capacity by 2025.
· Promotion of energy-saving technologies, such as high-efficiency rectification system, high-temperature and high-pressure coke dry quenching, and oxygen enriched enhanced smelting.
Clean and efficient coal utilization
· Strictly but rationally control the growth of coal consumption, ensuring clean and efficient utilization of coal.
· Steadily reduce the amount of coal used in fuel gas generators, coal-fired hot blast stoves, heating stoves, drying stoves (kilns) and construction materials industries in areas facing air pollution, and replace them with clean electricity and natural gas.
· Promote the upgrade of cogeneration in large coal-fired power plants, fully tap into the potential for heating, and promote the elimination of coal-fired boilers and coal for residential use.
· Step up efforts to eliminate outdated small coal-fired heat and power plants, and promote the use of industrial waste heat, power plant waste heat and clean energy to replace coal heating.
· By 2025, non-fossil fuel should account for about 20 % of total energy consumption. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, coal consumption should decrease by about 10 % in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and surrounding areas, and 5 % in the Yangtze River Delta. Coal consumption in the Fenwei plains should decrease.
Transport and logistics sectors
· Promote the construction of green railways, highways, ports, sea routes and airports, as well as infrastructure for electric vehicle battery charging and swapping, gas and hydrogen filling, and shore power at ports and airports.
Urban and rural areas
· Build low-carbon cities and "solid waste free" cities. Renewable energy, such as wind, solar and biomass, shall be applied in agricultural production and rural life for clean heating and other purposes.
Policies and Laws
· Improve the emission accounting methods, formulate technical guidelines for accounting, strengthen the monitoring and management for emission permits and environmental impact assessment and approval. Online energy consumption monitoring systems targeting major energy consumers are also encouraged.
· Gradually standardize and discontinue inefficient fossil fuel subsidies. Expand support for clean winter heating in northern China. Encourage regions with enabling conditions to explore the establishment of policies for green loans, such as financial discount, awards and subsidies, risk compensation, and credit guarantees.
· Projects with high energy consumption and emissions should be resolutely deterred. Strengthening market-based mechanisms is urged to advance pilot programs for trading energy use rights while aligning them with carbon emissions trading.
· Promote the formulation and revision of related laws, including the following: Comprehensive Utilization of Resources Law; Energy Conservation Law; Circular Economy Law; Clean Production Law; Environmental Impact Assessment Law; and regulations pertaining to environmental monitoring and energy efficiency.
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