Five departments jointly issued ＂Several Opinions on Promoting Energy Saving and Carbon Reduction in Key Areas with Strict Energy Efficiency Constraints＂

Five departments, including the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the General Administration of Market Supervision and the National Energy Administration, recently jointly issued "Several Opinions on Promoting Energy Conservation and Carbon Reduction in Key Areas with Strict Energy Efficiency Constraints". According to the Opinions, by 2025, through the implementation of energy conservation and carbon reduction actions, the production capacity of key industries and data centers such as steel, electrolytic aluminum, cement, flat glass, oil refining, ethylene, synthetic ammonia and calcium carbide will reach the benchmark level by more than 30%, and the overall energy efficiency level of the industry will be significantly improved, the carbon emission intensity will be significantly reduced, and the green and low-carbon development capability will be significantly enhanced. By 2030, the benchmark level and benchmarking level of energy efficiency in key industries will be further improved, the proportion of enterprises that have reached the benchmarking level will be greatly increased, and the overall energy efficiency level and carbon emission intensity of the industry will reach the international advanced level, which will provide strong support for achieving the peak carbon dioxide emissions goal as scheduled.

Some opinions on strict energy efficiency constraints to promote energy saving and carbon reduction in key areas

Development and Reform Industry [2021] No.1464

Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Finance, People’s Bank of China, CSRC, Development and Reform Commission of all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government and cities under separate state planning, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, Department of Industry and Information Technology (Bureau), Department of Ecological Environment (Bureau), Market Supervision Bureau (Department, Committee) and Energy Bureau:

　　Achieving peak carbon dioxide emissions and carbon neutrality is a major strategic decision made by the CPC Central Committee with the Supreme Leader as the core, with a view to building a manufacturing power and promoting high-quality development. In order to promote energy conservation, carbon reduction and green transformation in key industries, resolutely curb the blind development of the national "two high" projects, and ensure the timely realization of peak carbon dioxide emissions goals, the following opinions are put forward.

I. General requirements

　　(A) the guiding ideology

　　Guided by the Supreme Leader’s Socialism with Chinese characteristics Thought in the New Era, thoroughly implement the Supreme Leader’s ecological civilization thought, fully implement the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Plenary Sessions of the 19th National Congress, fully implement the new development concept based on the new development stage, build a new development pattern, scientifically handle the relationship between development and emission reduction, whole and partial, short-term and medium-and long-term, highlight the leading role of standards, and tap the potential of energy-saving and carbon-reducing technological transformation. Strengthen the system concept, promote comprehensive policies, strictly supervise and manage, speed up the pace of energy saving and carbon reduction in key areas, drive the green and low-carbon transformation of the whole industry, and ensure the realization of peak carbon dioxide emissions goals as scheduled.

　　(2) Basic principles

　　Adhere to key breakthroughs and step-by-step implementation. Grasp the law of development, grasp the main contradictions, select key industries with good comprehensive conditions, and take the lead in carrying out technological transformation of energy saving and carbon reduction. After the key industries have made substantial progress and the relevant mechanisms are mature, the research will be extended to other industries and product fields.

　　Adhere to the guidance of high standards and classification. Closely follow the advanced level at home and abroad, and define the benchmark level of energy efficiency in key industries. According to the actual situation and development expectations of various industries, the energy efficiency benchmark level is set scientifically. Guide enterprises that have not reached the benchmark level and implement transformation and upgrading against the benchmark level.

　　Adhere to benchmarking and strict supervision. Benchmark leading enterprises at home and abroad, revise energy-saving standards in a timely manner, strengthen the development of energy-saving and carbon-reducing technologies, and promote technological transformation of high-energy-consuming enterprises. Compacting the main responsibility of enterprises, implementing the responsibility of territorial supervision, strengthening the daily monitoring of energy consumption and carbon emissions of enterprises, and establishing and improving the supervision and accountability mechanism for violations.

　　Adhere to comprehensive policies, smooth and orderly. Integrate existing policy tools, strengthen the coordination of fiscal, financial, investment, price and other policies with industrial and environmental protection policies, and use market-based legal methods to promote energy conservation and carbon reduction in key areas in a safe and orderly manner. Avoid "one-size-fits-all" management and "sports" carbon reduction, and ensure the safety of industrial chain supply chain and the smooth operation of economy and society.

　　(III) Main objectives

　　By 2025, through the implementation of energy-saving and carbon reduction actions, the production capacity of key industries and data centers such as steel, electrolytic aluminum, cement, flat glass, oil refining, ethylene, synthetic ammonia and calcium carbide will reach the benchmark level by more than 30%, the overall energy efficiency level of the industry will be significantly improved, the carbon emission intensity will be significantly reduced, and the green and low-carbon development capability will be significantly enhanced.

　　By 2030, the benchmark level and benchmarking level of energy efficiency in key industries will be further improved, the proportion of enterprises that have reached the benchmarking level will be greatly increased, and the overall energy efficiency level and carbon emission intensity of the industry will reach the international advanced level, which will provide strong support for achieving the peak carbon dioxide emissions goal as scheduled.

Second, the key tasks

　　(1) Focus on key industries.

　　We will implement energy conservation and carbon reduction in key industries step by step, and focus on the first batch of key industries and data centers such as steel, electrolytic aluminum, cement, flat glass, oil refining, ethylene, synthetic ammonia and calcium carbide with relatively high energy consumption, relatively mature transformation conditions and obvious demonstration and driving effect. Study and formulate specific action plans by industry, and define the main goals and key tasks of energy saving and carbon reduction. After the above-mentioned industries have made a breakthrough in stages and the relevant mechanisms are mature, we will study and select the next batch of main industries according to the situation, and slowly and steadily push forward.

　　(2) Scientifically determine the level of energy efficiency.

　　Based on the principle of "high is not low", the advanced energy efficiency level of domestic and foreign production enterprises is benchmarked, and the benchmark level of energy efficiency in various industries is determined as the target direction of technological transformation of enterprises. On this basis, with reference to the access value and limited value determined by the current national energy-saving standards, according to the actual situation of the industry, development expectations, the overall energy efficiency level of production equipment, etc., the factors such as achieving the peak carbon dioxide emissions goal as scheduled, keeping the production supply stable, and facilitating the operation and implementation of enterprises are considered as a whole, and the energy efficiency benchmark levels of various industries are scientifically delineated.

　　(3) Strictly implement classified management.

　　All localities carefully investigate the projects under construction. If the energy efficiency level is lower than the access value of the energy consumption limit of the industry, they will stop work and rectify in accordance with relevant regulations, promote the improvement of energy efficiency level, and strive to reach the benchmark level. Scientifically evaluate the proposed project, reduce the production capacity of industries with saturated production capacity according to the principle of "reduction and replacement", raise the entry threshold against the international advanced level for industries with unsaturated production capacity, and support and guide enterprises to apply green technology and improve the energy efficiency level for emerging industries with large energy consumption. Accelerate the transformation and upgrading of stock projects, and resolutely eliminate backward production capacity, backward technology and backward products.

　　(4) Steadily promote transformation and upgrading.

　　We will promote energy-saving and carbon-reducing technological transformation in key industries, reasonably set the transition period for policy implementation, and in accordance with the requirements of "overall promotion, one enterprise and one policy", all localities respectively formulate the overall implementation plan and specific work plan of provincial-level energy-saving and carbon-reducing technological transformation, and clarify the promotion steps, transformation period, technical route, work nodes and expected goals to ensure the safe and orderly implementation of policies. Encourage state-owned enterprises and key enterprises to play a leading role and carry out demonstration transformation of energy saving and carbon reduction. In the process of transformation, enterprises are encouraged to implement mergers and acquisitions on the premise of implementing the requirements of capacity replacement.

　　(five) to strengthen the application of technical research.

　　Systematically sort out the technical difficulties and equipment shortcomings in the transformation and upgrading of key industries, make full use of the innovative resources of scientific research institutes, industry associations and key enterprises, and promote the key technologies of green and low-carbon commonality, cutting-edge leading technologies, subversive technologies and related facilities and equipment to tackle key problems. With the favorable opportunity of energy-saving and carbon-reducing technological transformation in key industries, we will accelerate the popularization and application of advanced and mature green and low-carbon technology and equipment, improve the green and intelligent level of technology and equipment in key industries, and promote the formation of a strong domestic market.

　　(6) Strengthening the construction of the support system.

　　Do a good job in the convergence of industrial layout, structural adjustment, "three lines and one single" ecological environment zoning control, environmental access, energy conservation review and energy consumption dual control policies, promote industrial centralized and intensive agglomeration development, and encourage the integration and development of upstream and downstream of different industries and industrial chains. Organize the periodic evaluation of enterprise technological transformation, and carry out the formulation, revision, popularization and application of standards in related fields according to the benchmark and benchmark level of energy efficiency in key industries. Comply with the development trend of technical equipment in the industry, study and establish a mechanism to dynamically improve the benchmark level and benchmark level of energy efficiency. Establish and improve the monitoring and evaluation system of energy efficiency and carbon emissions in key industries, and improve the accounting, measurement, reporting, verification and evaluation mechanism of enterprise energy efficiency and carbon emissions.

　　(7) Strengthen the green and high-quality development of data centers.

　　Encourage key industries to use new infrastructure such as green data centers to save energy and reduce consumption. The electric energy utilization efficiency of newly-built large and super-large data centers shall not exceed 1.3. By 2025, the energy utilization efficiency of data centers will generally not exceed 1.5. Accelerate the optimization of data center construction layout, and build large and super-large data centers in principle within the scope of national hub node data center clusters. All localities should co-ordinate the construction and proposed data center projects, and set a reasonable transition period to ensure stable and orderly development. For the newly-built data center outside the national hub node, the local government shall not give preferential policies on land, finance and taxation.

Third, safeguard measures

　　(A) improve the technical support policy.

　　Implement preferential tax policies for energy-saving special equipment, technological transformation and comprehensive utilization of resources. Actively develop green finance, set up carbon emission reduction support tools, and support financial institutions to provide high-quality financial services to key projects with significant carbon emission reduction effects on the premise of controllable risks and sustainable business. Expand the depth and breadth of the green bond market, and support qualified energy-saving and low-carbon development enterprises to go public for financing and refinancing. Implement the first (set) of major technical equipment demonstration and application encouragement policy.

　　(2) Strengthen supervision and management.

　　Strengthen the daily monitoring and on-site inspection of the implementation of energy efficiency levels in key industries, give play to the role of local industrial and information authorities, increase the supervision of national industrial special energy conservation, and promote energy conservation supervision in key industries as a whole to ensure the implementation of relevant policies and standards. Compaction of territorial supervision responsibility, strict accountability, establish and improve the informed criticism, early warning of energy use, interview accountability, rectification supervision and other working mechanisms, and improve the supervision system of energy conservation and carbon reduction in key industries. Give play to the role of credit information sharing platform and strengthen the joint punishment of dishonesty of illegal enterprises.

　　(3) Give full play to policy synergy.

　　Strictly implement policies related to energy conservation and carbon reduction, and increase market regulation and supervise implementation through green electricity price, energy conservation supervision and environmental protection supervision and law enforcement. According to the actual needs, expand the scope of green electricity prices to cover industries, accelerate the pace of transformation and upgrading of related industries, and improve the energy efficiency level of industries. Strictly implement the relevant capacity replacement policies, increase the disposal of idle capacity and zombie capacity, and accelerate the elimination of backward production capacity.

　　(4) Strengthen policy propaganda and interpretation.

　　Make full use of government departments, industry associations, news media and other channels, strengthen policy interpretation and public opinion guidance, actively respond to social concerns and hot issues, and convey the firm determination to lead energy conservation and carbon reduction in key areas with energy efficiency. Select enterprises with outstanding energy efficiency levels in key industries, publish a list of "leaders" in energy efficiency, form a batch of experiences that can be used for reference, copied and popularized, and publicize and promote them in time. Spread and popularize the concept of green production and low-carbon environmental protection, and create a good atmosphere for the whole society to jointly promote energy conservation and carbon reduction in key industries.

　　All localities should deeply understand the significance of promoting energy conservation and carbon reduction in key areas, keep in mind that "the country is the biggest", adhere to the national "chess game", organize local areas to carry out energy conservation and carbon reduction in key areas as soon as possible, reasonably grasp the timing and rhythm of policy implementation, avoid ups and downs in production and supply in the industry, and ensure that the results are achieved.