Despite the acceleration of clean-energy deployment, the plan reflects heightened concerns about energy security.
Coal remains fundamental to the energy system’s reliability, especially as the grid grows more complex with the addition of intermittent renewables. Still, China’s carbon emissions are expected to peak before 2030. The plan lays out a target of reducing carbon intensity by about 3.8 per cent in 2026.
However, while the plan calls for “peaking of coal and petroleum consumption,” it does not provide any specific year for the peak or absolute consumption. Additionally, rather than a phase-out, the focus is on retrofitting coal plants through “demonstration projects” like co-firing with biomass or green ammonia. This plants to operate flexibly to cover gaps in renewable output rather than providing steady base-load power.
The plan also mentions low carbon renovation projects for coal-chemical industries, a major sector in China’s economy, which was responsible for a emissions growth in the sector.