Six departments including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology jointly issued the "Action Plan for Industrial Energy Efficiency Improvement"

Industrial Energy Efficiency Improvement Action Plan

Promoting industrial energy efficiency improvement is an inherent requirement for upgrading the quality of industries and achieving high-quality development. It is also an important way to reduce carbon emissions in the industrial sector and achieve the goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. Furthermore, it is an effective measure to cultivate new driving forces for green and low-carbon development and promote the growth of the industrial economy. To thoroughly implement the major decisions and deployments of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, and to further improve energy utilization efficiency in the industrial sector and promote the optimization of energy resource allocation, this action plan is formulated.

I. Overall Requirements

(I) Guiding Ideology
Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, we will thoroughly implement Xi Jinping's ecological civilization thought, fully implement the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and its subsequent plenary sessions. Based on the new development stage, we will comprehensively, accurately, and completely implement the new development philosophy, build a new development pattern, adhere to the concept of systems thinking, adhere to the principle of prioritizing energy conservation, and regard energy conservation and efficiency improvement as the most direct, effective, and economical carbon reduction measure. We will comprehensively promote energy efficiency technological transformation and energy efficiency management innovation, comprehensively improve energy efficiency regulatory capacity and energy efficiency service levels, comprehensively improve the efficiency of key energy-consuming processes, equipment, and products, and the comprehensive energy efficiency of the entire chain. We will steadily and orderly promote the transformation of industrial energy conservation from partial single-unit energy conservation to full-process system energy conservation, actively promote the efficient, low-carbon, and green use of energy, and lay a solid energy efficiency foundation for achieving the goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality in the industrial sector.
(II) Main Objectives
By 2025, the energy efficiency of key industrial sectors will be comprehensively improved, the energy efficiency of key areas such as data centers will be significantly improved, the proportion of green and low-carbon energy utilization will be significantly increased, energy-saving and efficiency-improving technologies and equipment will be widely applied, the standard, service, and regulatory systems will be gradually improved, the energy efficiency of key products in sectors such as steel, petrochemicals, nonferrous metals, and building materials will reach internationally advanced levels, and the energy consumption per unit of added value of large-scale industrial enterprises will decrease by 13.5% compared to 2020. The concept of 'making the most of energy and prioritizing efficiency' will become a common idea and universal requirement of market entities and the public, and energy conservation and efficiency improvement will further become the 'first energy' of green and low-carbon development and the primary measure for reducing consumption and carbon emissions.

II. Significantly Improve Energy Efficiency in Key Sectors

Focusing on key energy-consuming industries and sectors, we will adopt differentiated policies and classifications to accelerate technological promotion, strengthen benchmarking and standardization, and systematically improve energy efficiency levels.
(I) Promoting Energy Efficiency Improvement and Upgrading in Key Industries Deeply tap the energy-saving potential of industries such as steel, petrochemicals, nonferrous metals, and building materials, orderly promote technological and process upgrades, promote energy efficiency improvements to the fullest extent, and achieve steady improvement in industry energy efficiency. For major energy-consuming links and equipment in industries such as machinery, papermaking, textiles, and electronics, a number of key common energy-saving and efficiency-improving technologies and equipment will be promoted to accelerate the improvement of industry energy efficiency. Encourage enterprises to strengthen energy system optimization, waste heat and pressure utilization, renewable energy utilization, and public utility facility renovation.

(II) Promoting Energy Efficiency Improvement and Green Upgrading in Key Areas Continuously carry out the construction of national green data centers, publish lists and typical cases, and strengthen green design, operation and maintenance, and energy metering review. Guide data centers to expand the proportion of green energy utilization and promote the implementation of systematic energy-saving renovations in old data centers. Support manufacturing enterprises in strengthening green design and improving the energy efficiency of network equipment and other information processing equipment. Promote the application of low-power chips and other products and technologies in mobile communication networks, and promote the green transformation of supporting facilities such as power supplies and air conditioners. By 2025, the power usage effectiveness (PUE, the ratio of total power consumption of a data center to the power consumption of IT equipment) of newly built large and ultra-large data centers will be better than 1.3.
(III) Promoting Cross-Industry and Cross-Sectoral Coupling Efficiency Improvement and Synergistic Upgrading Encourage the integrated development of steel and chemical production, refining and chemical integration, coal chemical power and heat integration, and multi-energy production, promote cross-industry integration and innovation, and achieve synergistic energy saving and efficiency improvement. Utilize by-product coal gas from steel and coke enterprises to produce high value-added chemical products, and promote refining and coal chemical enterprises to build an industrial chain that is interconnected, mutually dependent, and has interconnected production facilities. Promote the high-value and efficient resource utilization of industrial solid waste, using ultra-fine powder with blast furnace slag and fly ash as the main raw materials to replace cement admixture, and reduce the consumption of cement and cement clinker. Promote the use of industrial waste heat for heating and promote efficient integration of production and cities.

III. Continuously Improve the Energy Efficiency of Energy-Using Equipment Systems

Focusing on general-purpose energy-using equipment such as motors, transformers, and boilers, we will continuously carry out special actions to improve energy efficiency, increase the application of high-efficiency energy-using equipment, and carry out energy-saving renovations of existing energy-using equipment.
(IV) Implementing Motor Energy Efficiency Improvement Action Encourage motor manufacturers to carry out systematic innovative designs such as performance optimization, high-efficiency iron cores, and lightweight housings, optimize motor control algorithms and control performance, and accelerate the innovation and upgrading of key materials such as high-performance magnet wire, rare earth permanent magnets, and high magnetic induction and low-loss cold-rolled silicon steel sheets. Promote motor energy-saving certification and promote efficient motor remanufacturing. Encourage using enterprises to conduct assessments of equipment energy efficiency levels and operation and maintenance conditions, scientifically subdivide load characteristics and different operating conditions, and accelerate motor upgrades. By 2025, the proportion of newly added high-efficiency energy-saving motors will reach more than 70%.
(V) Implementing Transformer Energy Efficiency Improvement Action Guide key material production, component supply, and complete machine manufacturing enterprises to cooperate in green design, and strengthen structural design and processing technology innovation such as three-dimensional winding iron cores. Promote the application of high-efficiency energy-saving transformers in emerging application scenarios such as renewable energy power stations, rail transit, data centers, ship shore power, and electric vehicle charging. Encourage power grid enterprises and industrial enterprises to conduct comprehensive surveys of in-service transformers, formulate energy efficiency improvement plans, and organize their implementation. By 2025, the proportion of newly added high-efficiency energy-saving transformers will reach more than 80%.
(VI) Implementing Boiler Energy Efficiency Improvement Action. Promote the implementation of technological renovations such as online monitoring, online diagnosis, collaborative optimization, and main and auxiliary machine matching control of boiler systems. Accelerate the high-quality development of boiler industrial clusters and promote the industrialization of high-efficiency energy-saving boilers. Encourage manufacturers to provide integrated services for the design, production, installation, and operation of high-efficiency energy-saving boilers and supporting carbon reduction and environmental protection facilities.
(VII) Implementing Energy-Using System Energy Efficiency Improvement Action Carry out energy-saving renovations and operational control optimization of the matching of key energy-using equipment systems. Accelerate the application of technologies such as high-efficiency centrifugal fans, low-speed high-torque direct drive, high-speed direct drive, and servo drive to improve the efficiency and quality of motor systems such as fans, pumps, and compressors. Promote the large-scale application of high-efficiency energy-saving grates, supporting auxiliary machines, thermal network pumps and valves, thermal storage devices, and energy metering systems. Strengthen the conformity review of energy efficiency labels and prohibit enterprises from producing and selling energy-using equipment and systems that do not meet the requirements of mandatory national energy efficiency standards.

IV. Comprehensively Improve the Comprehensive Energy Efficiency of Enterprise Parks

Promote industrial enterprises and industrial parks to strengthen energy management across the entire chain, in all dimensions, and throughout the entire process. Cooperatively promote energy efficiency improvements for large, medium, and small enterprises, systematically improving the comprehensive energy efficiency of industrial chains and supply chains.
(8) Strengthen Benchmarking for Industrial Energy Efficiency . Fully implement benchmarking and standardization. Select and publish energy efficiency “leader” enterprise lists and their energy efficiency indicators. Guide industry enterprises to catch up with energy efficiency “leaders” through establishing benchmarks, publicity and promotion, and policy incentives. Starting from the internationally advanced level and energy efficiency benchmark level of key industries, reasonably set higher energy efficiency indicators to guide leading and innovative backbone enterprises to comprehensively adopt advanced and cutting-edge process technologies and equipment, explore the creation of super-efficient factories, and establish internationally leading energy efficiency benchmarks. By 2025, select 100 energy efficiency “leader” enterprises in key energy-consuming industries and explore the creation of 10 super-efficient factories.
(9) Strengthen Industrial Enterprise Energy Efficiency Management . Promote key energy-consuming enterprises to formulate and implement energy-saving plans, establish energy-saving target responsibility systems, conduct energy management system certification, and establish specialized energy management positions, etc. Implement energy consumption statistics and energy utilization status reporting systems, regularly conduct energy audits, energy-saving diagnoses, and energy efficiency benchmarking and standardization, and encourage enterprises to publish annual reports on energy utilization on a voluntary basis. Organize energy metering reviews, urge enterprises to improve energy metering systems, equip energy metering instruments as required, and regularly conduct instrument inspection and calibration, etc.
(10) Strengthen the Leading Role of Large Enterprises in Energy Efficiency . Support large enterprises in comprehensively implementing green manufacturing and accelerating the process innovation and digital and green transformation for energy saving and efficiency improvement. Encourage the strengthening of industrial chain and supply chain energy efficiency management through project cooperation, industrial co-construction, and the establishment of alliances, and guide energy efficiency improvements. Encourage large enterprises to take the lead in implementing enterprise green procurement guidelines and strengthen energy efficiency constraints in procurement. Encourage the signing of voluntary energy-saving agreements, the implementation of supply chain energy efficiency improvement initiatives, and the conduct of voluntary energy-saving declarations and self-commitments, etc.
(11) Strengthen the Energy Efficiency Service Capacity of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises . Guide small and medium-sized enterprises to apply energy-saving and efficiency-improving technologies, processes, and equipment, increase the use of renewable and new energy sources, and benchmark the creation of green factories. Promote the improvement of cooperation service mechanisms for energy efficiency in various industries and fields, conduct various energy-saving services for small and medium-sized enterprises, and publicize and promote energy-saving and efficiency-improving transformation cases. Encourage small and medium-sized enterprises to focus on their main businesses, cultivate their expertise, and strengthen innovation, and cultivate a group of specialized and innovative “small giant” enterprises and single-item champion enterprises.
(12) Strengthen Energy Management in Industrial Parks . Guide the transfer of production enterprises in industries such as petrochemicals, textiles, and ceramics to industrial parks to form industrial scale effects and jointly build and share energy and other infrastructure. Promote the development of new formats such as centralized heating and gas supply and energy supply hubs in industrial parks in a way that suits local conditions, fully release the heating capacity of power plants and industrial waste heat, develop long-distance heating projects, and orderly replace coal-fired boilers within the coverage of the pipeline network. Strengthen demand-side management of electricity, carry out the creation of demonstration enterprises and parks for demand-side management of electricity in the industrial field, and optimize the allocation of electricity resources. Actively promote the application of new energy vehicles and closed pipelines for transportation within industrial parks and large enterprises.

V. Orderly Promote the Low-Carbon Transformation of Industrial Energy Consumption

Strengthen two-way interaction between energy supply and demand, make comprehensive use of different energy types such as fossil energy and renewable energy, and actively build a multi-energy efficient and complementary industrial energy consumption structure of electricity, heat, cold, and gas.
(13) Accelerate the Efficient and Clean Utilization of Coal . Orderly promote the reduction and replacement of coal, and promote the transformation of coal into clean fuels, high-quality raw materials, and high-quality materials. Accelerate the application of clean and efficient coal combustion and resource utilization technologies. According to the principle of “gas-based transformation”, orderly promote the replacement of industrial coal with natural gas. Guide enterprises to orderly carry out clean and efficient utilization transformation of coal, and eliminate backward production capacity and backward processes in accordance with laws and regulations.
(14) Accelerate the Diversification and Greening of Industrial Energy Consumption . Support qualified industrial enterprises and industrial parks in building industrial green microgrids, accelerate the development and operation of integrated systems such as distributed photovoltaics, distributed wind power, high-efficiency heat pumps, waste heat and waste pressure utilization, and intelligent energy control, and promote multi-energy efficient and complementary utilization. Encourage the purchase of green electricity through the electricity market and the large-scale and high-proportion use of renewable energy nearby. Promote the innovative upgrading and industry-specific applications of intelligent photovoltaics, innovate “photovoltaic +” models, and promote diversified layouts of photovoltaic power generation.
(15) Accelerate the Electrification and Decarbonization of Terminal Energy Consumption . In key industries such as steel, petrochemicals, nonferrous metals, and building materials, and in other industries such as heating, drying, and steam supply, promote the use of electric arc furnaces, electric boilers, electric kilns, electric heating, high-temperature heat pumps, and high-power electric thermal energy storage boilers, and expand the proportion of electrified terminal energy consumption equipment. Steadily and orderly carry out the electrification transformation of low-temperature heat sources in industrial production. Encourage the priority use of renewable energy to meet the electricity demand of electricity substitution projects. By 2025, the proportion of electricity in industrial terminal energy consumption will reach about 30%.

VI. Actively Promote the Upgrading of Digital Energy Efficiency

Give full play to the enabling role of digital technology in improving industrial energy efficiency, and promote the construction of an energy control system with status perception, real-time analysis, scientific decision-making, and precise execution, accelerating the digital and green transformation of production methods.
(16) Improve the Technological Level of Digital Energy Saving and Efficiency Improvement . Promote the research and application of 5G, cloud computing, edge computing, the Internet of Things, big data, and artificial intelligence in the field of energy saving and efficiency improvement, and actively build a digital twin system for energy efficiency management. Give full play to the role of platforms such as the 5G application industry formation and the “Blooming Cup” 5G application solicitation competition, and deeply explore and promote typical cases and scenarios of 5G empowering industrial energy saving and efficiency improvement. Promote enterprises to deepen the construction of energy control systems, achieve multi-objective operation decision optimization with energy efficiency as a constraint through energy flow, material flow, and other information collection, monitoring, intelligent analysis, and refined management. Encourage enterprises to explore the implementation of digital carbon management based on energy control systems, and jointly promote the collection, analysis, and management of energy consumption data and carbon emission data.
(17) Improve the Public Service Capacity of Energy Efficiency Management Combining the actual needs of industry and enterprise energy efficiency improvement, we will increase the supply of digital and green collaborative development solutions. Encourage local governments to make good use of existing energy efficiency management and service platforms to provide industrial enterprises and upstream and downstream of the industrial chain with services such as energy consumption data collection, tracking, and accounting. Make good use of existing energy efficiency data certification platforms to provide data certification, trusted interaction, energy efficiency identification and verification services, effectively improving the application value of energy efficiency data.
(Eighteen) Improve Innovation capabilities of "Industrial Internet + Energy Efficiency Management" Explore typical application scenarios of "Industrial Internet + Energy Efficiency Management" in key industries and fields, accelerate the testing and certification of new technologies and products, gradually improve the panoramic view of digital energy efficiency improvement in key industries, and create a solution resource library. Promote the digital transformation and cloud adoption of key energy-consuming equipment and processes. Promote the integrated innovation model of platform-based design, intelligent manufacturing, networked collaboration, personalized customization, service extension, and digital management based on the industrial Internet and energy efficiency management.

VII. Continuously Consolidate the Industrial Foundation for Energy Saving and Efficiency Improvement

Focus on improving the supply level of energy-saving technologies, equipment, and products, vigorously develop energy-saving services, actively build a new engine for green growth, and cultivate new advantages in the green competition of the manufacturing industry.
(Nineteen) Increase the efforts to select and promote energy-saving technologies Application-oriented, select and publish the national industrial and communication industry energy-saving technology, equipment and product recommendation catalog and typical application cases, and accelerate the promotion of new energy-saving and efficiency-improving technologies and equipment. Encourage local governments, industry associations, research institutions, and key enterprises to carry out various "Energy-saving services enter enterprises" activities, implement technical exchanges, business training, standard dissemination, and supply and demand docking. Encourage local governments and industries to actively explore new mechanisms for the precise identification and rapid promotion of innovative energy-saving and efficiency-improving technologies.
(Twenty) Increase the supply of energy-saving equipment and products Focusing on high-efficiency motors, high-efficiency transformers, waste heat, waste pressure, and waste gas utilization equipment and other high-efficiency energy-saving equipment, we will build a number of energy-saving equipment production bases to improve the supply capacity and quality of energy-saving equipment. Vigorously develop high-efficiency photovoltaic, large-scale wind power, smart grids, and high-efficiency energy storage and other new energy equipment. Encourage e-commerce platforms to build energy-saving product supply and demand docking platforms to promote new energy vehicles, high-efficiency energy-saving household appliances, high-efficiency lighting products and systems, and green building materials. Accelerate the establishment of a unified green product certification and labeling system and improve the mechanism for accepting green product certifications.
(Twenty-one) Increase the efforts to provide professional energy-saving services Actively play the role of professional energy-saving service agencies to provide industrial enterprises and parks with energy-saving consulting, design, evaluation, monitoring, auditing, and certification "One-stop" integrated energy services, promoting the transformation of service content from single equipment and single process links to the entire energy system. Organize and carry out demonstration projects for energy resource metering services, and use metering methods to help enterprises save energy and reduce carbon emissions. Vigorously promote typical service models such as contract energy management.
(Twenty-two) Increase the efforts to reserve new energy-saving technologies Strengthen the research and development of insulated gate bipolar transistors ( IGBT), special amorphous motors and amorphous reactors and other core motor components. Carry out innovation and technological upgrading of high-grade oriented silicon steel sheets, ultra-high voltage DC bushings, amorphous alloys, and environmentally friendly insulating oils and other transformer materials. Accelerate the research and development of high-efficiency low-nitrogen burners, intelligent air distribution systems and other high-efficiency clean combustion equipment and corrugated plate heat exchangers, spiral tube heat exchangers and other high-efficiency heat exchange equipment. Accelerate the technological progress and integrated development of the energy electronics industry. Actively promote the application of new energy storage technologies and products in the industrial field, and explore the utilization modes of hydrogen energy and methanol.

VIII

Accelerate the improvement of the energy-saving and efficiency-improving system and mechanism

Improve and improve relevant policies, regulations, and standards for industrial energy saving, strengthen energy-saving supervision and management, and diagnostic services, and lay a solid foundation for improving industrial energy efficiency.
(Twenty-three) Continuously strengthen industrial energy-saving supervision Focus on key industries, key equipment, and new infrastructure and other energy-consuming areas to carry out industrial energy-saving supervision. Strengthen the construction of local energy-saving supervision teams and mechanisms, improve the level of normalized daily supervision, promote the inclusion of supervision results in the enterprise social credit system, and improve the effectiveness of industrial energy-saving supervision. Improve the three-level energy-saving supervision system of provinces, cities, and counties, equip professional supervision institutions and personnel as required, and cultivate professional third-party inspection and testing teams. Increase the training of personnel from government departments, energy-saving supervision and law enforcement agencies, and key enterprises, and improve professional levels through business training, competitions, and experience exchanges.
(Twenty-four) Carry out in-depth industrial energy-saving diagnosis For key industries, key enterprises, and industrial parks, organize and implement special energy-saving diagnostic services, tap energy-saving potential, and put forward suggestions for energy-saving transformation. Cultivate a number of market-oriented organizations and expert teams for energy-saving diagnostic services in various industries and fields, compile and publish energy-saving diagnostic service guidelines and standards, improve the diagnostic level of major process links and key energy-consuming systems, and improve the energy-saving diagnostic data platform. Encourage local governments to establish a project database for energy-saving diagnosis and transformation, track the implementation progress, and strengthen the application of diagnostic results.
(Twenty-five) Improve and improve the industrial energy-saving standard system Based on the actual needs of industrial development and technological innovation for energy saving and efficiency improvement, we will promote the formulation and revision of a number of national standards for energy consumption limits, product equipment energy efficiency, and energy-saving standards in the fields of technical specifications, operation tests, and monitoring management, expanding the coverage of energy-saving standards. Improve supporting standards for energy accounting, testing, certification, evaluation, auditing, diagnosis, monitoring, and services. Improve the dynamic update mechanism of standards and continuously improve the energy efficiency access threshold. Encourage enterprises to formulate stricter enterprise energy-saving standards based on relevant national and industry standards.
(Twenty-six) Resolutely curb the blind development of high energy consumption, high emission, and low-level projects Deeply tap the potential of energy saving and carbon reduction in existing projects, dynamically adjust and improve the benchmark and baseline levels of industry energy efficiency, set high standards, and provide classified guidance to resolutely curb unreasonable energy consumption of high energy consumption, high emission, and low-level projects. Considering factors such as product unit consumption, energy output rate, industry chain positioning, and green and low-carbon level, explore the establishment of "Whitelist" system. Strictly implement the equivalent or reduced replacement of production capacity for new and expansion projects in industries such as steel, cement, flat glass, and electrolytic aluminum, strictly control the increase in production capacity in industries such as diammonium phosphate, yellow phosphorus, and calcium carbide, and strictly prohibit the increase in production capacity of cement clinker, flat glass, electrolytic aluminum, alumina, and coal chemical industry in key areas for atmospheric pollution prevention and control, reasonably control the scale of coal-to-oil and gas production capacity, and strictly control the increase in oil refining production capacity. Comprehensively exert the constraining role of indicators such as energy consumption intensity, quality, safety, and environmental protection, and accelerate the elimination of backward production capacity.

IX. Supporting Measures

(27) Strengthen Organization and Implementation Relevant departments, including those responsible for industry and information technology, development and reform, finance, ecological environment, state-owned assets, and market regulation, should strengthen collaboration and work together. Local industrial and information technology authorities may, in conjunction with relevant departments, formulate work plans for their respective regions to ensure the effective implementation of tasks and the coordinated promotion of energy conservation and emission reduction. Leverage the bridging role of industry associations, think tanks, and third-party organizations, as well as the exemplary role of central enterprises, to accelerate improvements in industrial energy efficiency and green, low-carbon development.
(28) Strengthen Policy Guidance Implement the "dual control" system for energy consumption, effectively manage energy intensity constraints, enhance the flexibility of total energy consumption management, and exempt regions that meet the national incentive targets for energy intensity reduction from total energy consumption assessments in the current "dual control" assessment. Coordinate the use of existing fiscal funds and government investment funds to promote improvements in industrial energy efficiency. Implement tax incentives for energy and water conservation. Increase government procurement of green products. Integrate differentiated electricity pricing policies, including tiered pricing and penalty pricing, to establish a unified tiered electricity pricing system for high-energy-consuming industries.
(29) Strengthen Financial Support Actively develop green finance and encourage financial institutions to provide high-quality financial services for key projects with significant energy conservation and emission reduction effects, provided that risks are controllable and business sustainability is ensured. Leverage the role of the national industrial-financial cooperation platform to establish a special fund for energy efficiency improvements within the industrial green development project database, supporting enterprises in carrying out technological transformation. Expand the depth and breadth of the green bond market to support eligible enterprises in listing financing and refinancing. Leverage the mechanism for compensating for the first-time application of major technical equipment and key new materials to support the application of eligible green and low-carbon technologies and equipment.
(30) Strengthen Publicity and Exchange Utilize platforms such as the National Energy Conservation Publicity Week to conduct multi-faceted publicity and education, encourage all sectors of society to conduct thematic exchanges and training, and actively create a positive atmosphere for the whole society to jointly promote energy conservation as a priority and efficiency as the supreme goal. Further consolidate and expand multilateral and bilateral international cooperation, and strengthen communication and exchange with relevant countries and international organizations on policies, technologies, and standards for improving industrial energy efficiency. Encourage energy-efficient technology and equipment service enterprises to "go global", undertake energy efficiency cooperation projects, promote China's practices, technologies, experiences, and standards, and contribute to improving global industrial energy efficiency.

The above content is reproduced from "Industrial Information Micro Report"