Summary: On 30 Dec., 2022, China's 2023 National Energy Work Conference was held in Beijing, aiming to secure domestic energy supplies, push domestic electricity supply towards a multi-energy pattern, and promote the development of new energy sources.

On 30 Dec., 2022, China's 2023 National Energy Work Conference was held in Beijing, aiming to secure domestic supplies of oil, gas, coal and electricity, accelerate the construction of major energy projects, and address the challenges to global energy security in recent years. The following measures were proposed at the meeting:

• Secure energy production and supply: promote the planning and construction of cross-provincial power transmission channels, oil and gas pipeline networks and reserves, and improve risk control of key energy infrastructure and power grids;
• Optimise the energy structure: with coal and electricity as the mainstays, develop wind and solar power, hydropower development, nuclear power and livelihood energy projects in a safe and orderly manner under the premise of ecological protection;
• Promote innovative major energy systems: apply standardised pilot demonstrations of technological innovation and establish a higher quality system of international energy cooperation;
• Deepen reforms in key areas: build a unified national electricity market system and strengthen energy regulation and administrative enforcement.

 

According to data from the National Energy Administration (NEA), in 2022 all efforts were made to increase the storage and production of oil and gas, with the output of crude oil output recovering to 200 million tonnes and natural gas exceeding 217 billion m³; the actual amount fulfilled of electricity and coal from medium/long-term contracts is expected to reach about 2 billion tonnes, reinforcing the fundamentals of these two energy sources. Meanwhile, during 2022, China introduced national policies to promote the development of new energy:

• In Feb., the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and NEA issued the Planning of Large Wind Power and Photovoltaic Bases in Key Areas of Gobi, and Desert, which proposed to build wind power and photovoltaic bases with a total installed capacity of about 455 million kilowatts by 2030;
• In March, China initiated the Medium- and Long-term Plan for the Development of Hydrogen Energy Industry (2021-2035), the first of its kind in the country;
• In June, NDRC and other eight departments jointly issued the Programme for Development of Renewable Energy for the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), which, putting the Gobi and desert areas at the focus, called for the acceleration of new energy bases construction at the upper reaches of the Yellow River, the Hexi Corridor, etc.

Under the encouragement of the policies, China's development of wind, solar power and other new energy sources has gained momentum in 2022, with the installed capacity growing rapidly. According to NEA, the first batch of large wind power and photovoltaic bases of 97.05 million kilowatts has all commenced construction, while the second and third batches of base projects have been also promoted; the annual total installed capacity is estimated to reach more than 120 million kilowatts. For 2023, the Conference has set the following targets:

• Improve production and stabilise supply of oil and gas: the output of crude oil is expected to reach 205 million tonnes and natural gas to increase by more than 6 billion m³ in 2023;
• Adjust and optimise the energy structure: the clean energy development, the wind and solar power generation, and the integrated hydro, wind and photovoltaic multi-energy construction will be strengthened, with the installed capacity of 430 million kilowatts for wind power, 490 million kilowatts for solar power and 423 million kilowatts for hydropower in 2023.