Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2026-07-02 Origin: Site
June 26 – The State Council Information Office held a themed press conference under the series “Kicking Off the 15th Five-Year Plan Period.” Ren Yuzhi, Spokesperson and Director-General of the Development Planning Department of the National Energy Administration (NEA), stated that China’s installed capacity of non-fossil energy is expected to exceed 3.5 billion kilowatts by the end of the 15th Five-Year Plan period, representing an increase of nearly 50% compared with the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan period. Wind and solar power alone are projected to surpass 2.8 billion kilowatts, providing a strong foundation for achieving China’s 2035 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
Reporter from Shangyou News:
The 15th Five-Year Plan period marks a critical stage for peaking carbon dioxide emissions, with the energy sector serving as the key battleground. Could you elaborate on the targets set in the 15th Five-Year Plan for the Development of a New Energy System regarding the increase in the share of non-fossil energy supply, phased replacement of fossil fuels, and energy conservation and carbon reduction? What concrete measures will be implemented to ensure that carbon peaking targets are achieved on schedule?
Ren Yuzhi, Spokesperson and Director-General of the Development Planning Department, National Energy Administration:
Thank you for your question. Achieving carbon peaking on schedule is a solemn commitment China has made to the international community. At present, the energy sector accounts for more than 80% of the country’s total carbon dioxide emissions, making it the primary front for emission reduction.
During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, we will intensify efforts and introduce more concrete measures to accelerate the low-carbon transition, ensuring that green development becomes a defining feature of high-quality growth.
We have established five key targets to guide this transition and drive emissions reduction. Three of them—the share of non-fossil energy in total energy consumption, the share of electricity generated from non-fossil sources, and the proportion of electricity in final energy consumption—are continuations of the 14th Five-Year Plan, but with higher benchmarks.
In addition, two new indicators have been introduced. The first is carbon emissions per unit of electricity generation, which is targeted to decline by more than 10% during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. This comprehensive metric reflects the green transformation and efficiency improvements of China’s power system. The second is energy savings in key industries. Through energy-efficiency upgrades and technological innovation, key sectors are expected to reduce energy consumption by more than 150 million tonnes of standard coal over the period.
With a clear roadmap in place, implementation will be the key priority. We will advance coordinated carbon reduction on both the supply and demand sides of energy.
We will promote both the expansion of new energy capacity and the upgrading of existing conventional energy systems.
For incremental capacity, we will significantly scale up the development of non-fossil energy sources. As projected, installed non-fossil energy capacity will exceed 3.5 billion kilowatts by the end of the 15th Five-Year Plan period, up nearly 50% from the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan. This includes more than 2.8 billion kilowatts of wind and solar power, which will provide strong support for achieving China’s 2035 NDC targets.
For existing conventional energy assets, we will accelerate the low-carbon transformation of fossil energy. Efforts will be made to promote green and efficient coal mining and cleaner coal utilization, advance low-carbon development in the oil and gas extraction and refining sectors, deepen the integration of coal, oil, gas, and coal-fired power with renewable energy, and upgrade next-generation coal-fired power units through efficiency improvements and retrofits.
We will focus on energy conservation and the substitution of clean energy in end-use consumption.
First, we will strengthen energy conservation efforts. This includes scaling up energy-efficient production processes and technologies across industries, implementing energy-saving and carbon-reduction retrofits in traditional manufacturing, and improving efficiency in emerging energy-intensive sectors such as data and computing infrastructure. Energy efficiency standards for buildings will also be tightened, and retrofits will be promoted for public institutions. We also call on media organizations to strengthen public awareness: every kilowatt-hour of electricity and every drop of oil carries a cost.
Second, we will promote clean energy substitution in end-use consumption. A minimum renewable energy consumption share mechanism will be implemented, alongside accelerated low-carbon transformation of heating systems. We will develop approximately 100 national-level zero-carbon industrial parks, promote building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), expand the deployment of new energy heavy-duty trucks, and build low-carbon and zero-carbon transportation corridors.
In addition, we will foster and expand markets for green electricity and green power certificates, improve accounting systems for non-fossil energy consumption, refine supporting policies and institutional frameworks, and fully unlock the potential of energy conservation and carbon reduction across production and daily life. These efforts will steadily raise the overall level of green and low-carbon energy consumption.
Thank you.
