Source: People's Daily
Building a strong energy power is essential for balancing domestic and international factors, development and security, and advancing Chinese-style modernization. It is a systematic project that requires adhering to the principle of establishing the new before phasing out the old and making progress while ensuring stability.
A close reading of the “15th Five-Year Plan” proposal reveals 16 national “strength-building” goals. Among them, the term “Strong Energy Power” appears in the plan proposal for the first time - what is the significance behind this?
Building a strong energy power is a practical necessity for coordinating domestic and international dynamics, harmonizing development and security, and advancing Chinese-style modernization.
Looking outward, the global energy supply-demand landscape is undergoing profound adjustments. Geopolitics, climate change, and energy transition are interacting with each other, making energy issues a top priority in national security for countries around the world.
Looking inward, during the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, China's energy consumption will continue to grow rigidly, with an estimated annual increase of about 600 billion kWh in electricity demand - representing considerable pressure. As a major country with over 1.4 billion people, China cannot repeat the high-consumption, high-emission path taken by developed nations. Instead, it must move onto a green and low-carbon development trajectory.
Therefore, building a strong energy nation means constructing a robust energy industrial chain, supply chain, and innovation system; upholding a diversified energy mix across wind, solar, hydro, nuclear and more; continuously increasing the share of new energy supply; safely and orderly replacing fossil energy; and transforming energy production and consumption patterns. Only by strengthening such foundational capabilities and enhancing self-reliant development capacity can China build greater confidence and advantage in international competition.
China already possesses many favorable conditions for becoming a strong energy nation. During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period (2021-2025), China consolidated its position as the world's largest energy producer, with an energy self-sufficiency rate above 80%. As fossil energy consumption peaks sequentially, dependence on imported oil and gas will gradually fall to a reasonable level. China has also built the world's largest and most complete new energy industry chain, supplying over 80% of global solar PV modules and 70% of wind power equipment. Many energy technologies and equipment lead globally, with new breakthroughs in million-kilowatt-class hydropower, advanced nuclear power, heavy-duty gas turbines, smart grids, and more.
As the world's largest developing country, China still faces heavy tasks in economic development and improving people's livelihoods, and its energy development is subject to many hard constraints. During the “15th Five-Year Plan” period (2026-2030), building a strong energy nation will remain a systematic endeavor that requires adhering to establishing the new before phasing out the old, advancing steadily, and carefully balancing several key relationships.
The relationship between energy security and energy transition.
The green transition cannot be achieved overnight. It must proceed steadily based on national conditions. Traditional energy must be phased out in an orderly manner, while new energy must be established first, early, and rapidly to enable safe and reliable substitution.
The relationship between energy development and energy conservation.
Building a strong energy nation requires strengthening the supply side by promoting green energy development; however, the demand side must not be overlooked. Improving energy efficiency and promoting green, low-carbon production and lifestyles are also essential. For example, through large-scale equipment renewal campaigns, China replaced over 20 million units (sets) of equipment in key sectors in 2024, achieving approximately 25 million tonnes of standard coal in energy savings - reducing carbon emissions at the source.
The relationship between government and market.
China will deepen market-oriented reforms in competitive segments of the energy sector, continuously improve the energy pricing mechanism, and stimulate endogenous motivation and innovation vitality.
During the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, China will accelerate the development of a clean, low-carbon, safe, and efficient modern energy system. More wind, sunshine, and water will be transformed into green development power, and fossil energy will be used more cleanly and efficiently, strengthening the stable and healthy development of China’s energy.
(By Ding Yiting)
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