How to continuously optimize and adjust the energy structure (Policy Q&A: Accelerating the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development)

The Central Economic Work Conference proposed to synergistically promote carbon reduction, pollution reduction, greening, and growth, and to accelerate the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development. This year's Government Work Report proposed to actively and steadily advance carbon peaking and carbon neutrality.

Energy is an important material foundation and driving force for economic and social development, and it is also the main battlefield for advancing carbon peaking and carbon neutrality.

By the end of 2024, China's installed capacity of renewable energy power generation reached 1.889 billion kilowatts, a year-on-year increase of 24.6%, and the installed capacity ratio has exceeded 50% for two consecutive years. At the same time, a number of major hydropower projects have been approved and constructed, the operating and under-construction scale of nuclear power has risen to the world's first, a new power system is being accelerated, and transformation and reform continue to maintain a global lead.

Wang Hongzhi, director of the National Energy Administration, introduced that adhering to green and low-carbon transformation and continuously promoting the optimization and adjustment of the energy structure, the following work will be prioritized in 2025:

Vigorously promote the development and utilization of wind and photovoltaic power generation. Actively promote the construction of the second and third batches of large-scale wind and photovoltaic power generation bases in deserts, gobi areas, and barren lands. Accelerate the development of offshore wind power. Actively develop distributed photovoltaics and decentralized wind power, and promote the large-scale development of solar thermal power generation. Carry out pilot surveys of wind and photovoltaic power generation resources, coordinate the development of new energy, reasonable utilization rate, and system regulation capacity, and focus on promoting high-quality consumption of new energy. Add about 200 million kilowatts of wind and photovoltaic power generation capacity this year, and the consumption of renewable energy will exceed 1.1 billion tons of standard coal.

Coordinate hydropower development and ecological protection. Actively and steadily promote the development of major hydropower projects, formulate a development and construction plan for hydropower in the Yangtze River Basin, and promote the planning and construction of integrated water-wind-solar power generation bases in major river basins. Orderly promote the planning and construction of pumped storage projects.

Actively, safely, and orderly develop nuclear power. Approve the start of a number of coastal nuclear power projects that meet the conditions, and steadily promote the construction of ongoing nuclear power projects. By the end of 2025, the installed capacity of operating nuclear power will reach about 65 million kilowatts. Consolidate the main responsibility of enterprises, ensure the safe and stable operation of operating nuclear power units, and further enhance the resilience and safety level of the nuclear power industry chain and supply chain.

Comprehensively promote the construction of a new power system. Approve the construction of a number of key power interconnection projects, actively promote the approval and commencement of transmission channels such as the transmission from western Inner Mongolia to Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, from southeastern Tibet to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, from the Badain Jaran Desert in Gansu to Sichuan, and from southern Xinjiang to Sichuan and Chongqing. Implement special actions for optimizing the regulation capacity of the power system, high-quality development of the distribution network, and upgrading of the new generation of coal-fired power plants, and promote pilot projects of grid-type technologies, system-friendly new energy power plants, and synergy between computing and electricity. Strengthen pilot demonstrations and dispatching applications of new energy storage. Accelerate the development of virtual power plants and carry out large-scale pilot applications of vehicle-grid interaction.

"2025 and the 15th Five-Year Plan period are a crucial period for accelerating the construction of a new energy system, promoting high-quality and high-level safe energy development." Wang Hongzhi said that energy work will adhere to technological innovation as the leader, system reform as the driving force, safe and sufficient supply as a prerequisite, and economic feasibility as the basis, to promote greater achievements in the implementation of the new energy security strategy. (Reporter Ding Yiting)