The Beijing News:

After years of development, China has become the world's largest producer and consumer of renewable energy. What are the major challenges that we face in this regard, and how will we deal with them? Thanks.

Li Chuangjun:

Thank you for your questions. In recent years, the energy sector has thoroughly implemented the new energy security strategy proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping, namely, launching a revolution in energy supply, consumption, technology and market, and increasing international cooperation in all sectors. We have been committed to achieving peak carbon emission and neutrality targets as well as coordinating development and security and vigorously promoting the transition to green and low-carbon energy. China's development of renewable energy has achieved new breakthroughs and entered a new stage of large-scale, high-quality, and leapfrog development. Currently, the main challenges that we face regarding the development of renewable energy sources are as follows:

First, in the aspect of absorbing electricity into power grids, with the rapid development of the new energy sector, the traditional power system can no longer meet the requirements of the large-scale and high-proportion development of new energy in terms of planning, construction, dispatching, and operation. Some places see pressure from absorbing electricity generated by new energy sources into power grids. 

Second, in terms of ensuring factors of production, the development of the new energy industry requires a huge amount of land resources. To realize the large-scale development of renewable energy, we need to strengthen policy cohesion and coordination with relevant departments in areas such as land and sea use, as well as environmental protection.

Third, in terms of the consumption and utilization of renewable energy, in order to actively adapt to the new requirement of transitioning from assessing the total amount and intensity of energy consumption to assessing the total amount and intensity of carbon emissions, we need to further guide all sectors of society to proactively consume and utilize renewable energy.

In response to these challenges, we will fully implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress, coordinate development and security, and expedite the planning and building of a new energy system, focusing on the following three aspects. First, we will accelerate the construction of new power systems. We will make coordinated efforts to ensure the safe and stable operation of power systems, the reliable supply of electricity, and absorb electricity generated from renewable energy sources into power grids. We will comprehensively improve the adjustment capacity and flexibility of power systems and ensure that new energy resources can generate power, provide electricity, and be used effectively. Second, we will coordinate energy security and food security. We will step up research on policies related to land and sea use for compound new energy projects. We will boost the development of compound new energy projects and the efficient and economical use of land, ensuring the implementation of major projects in this regard. Third, we will work to develop green and low-carbon ways of working and living. We will improve the system concerning green power certificates and move faster to issue them for all power generated from renewable energy. We will introduce policies to promote the consumption of power generated from renewable energy. We will also specify the authority, versatility, uniqueness, and dominant role of green power certificates, expand the scope of their issuance and trading, and work to promote their full coverage. We will foster an atmosphere in all sectors of society to use electricity generated from renewable energy, encourage all energy-consuming units to proactively assume their social responsibility in using such electricity, and promote the green and low-carbon transformation and high-quality development of both the economy and society.