A new five year plan on energy has called for energy conservation and a reduction in related emissions in China. Released by the central government, the plan stated that the country will appropriately control its total energy consumption and cut its energy consumption per unit of GDP by 13.5% by 2025 compared with the 2020 level. China will further push the green transition in steelmaking, non-ferrous metals, construction materials and the petrochemical sector, to ensure an 8% drop in both total emissions of ammonia nitrogen and chemical oxygen demand (COD). Emissions of oxynitride and volatile organic compounds will be reduced by more than 10% from the 2020 level, the plan said.
The government will also step up the replacement of outdated coal-fired boilers with waste heat from industrial production and power plants, while further upgrading steel production capacity to achieve ultra-low emissions, it said. Ten major projects, including green upgrading in key industries, emission reductions in the communication and logistics industries, and the clean and efficient use of coal, will be launched with clear targets. According to the plan, non-fossil fuels will account for around 20% of the country’s total energy consumption by 2025. Coal consumption in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region will drop by 10% during the 14th Five Year Plan period (2021-25) while that for the Yangtze River Delta region will drop 5%.
Policies and mechanisms for conserving energy and reducing emissions will be improved, energy efficiency and the control of the discharge of major pollutants in key industries will basically reach advanced international levels, and notable progress should be made in the green transformation of economic and social development, said the plan.
China’s energy conservation has substantially improved during the past few years, said Luo Zuoxian, Director of Intelligence and Research at the Sinopec Economics and Development Research Institute. “Considering the technological advances, energy conservation has substantial room for further improvement in the years to come, which will in turn ensure the country achieves its goal of peaking carbon emissions by 2030 and reaching carbon neutrality by 2060,” Luo said, as reported by the China Daily.
