National Energy Administration: Adequate energy supply in the first three quarters, green transformation achieved new breakthroughs, and photovoltaic installations historically surpassed coal power

The Zhitong Finance App learned that on October 30, the National Energy Administration held a regular quarterly press conference. The press conference pointed out that since this year, China's energy supply is sufficient, supply and demand are balanced, new progress has been made in the green and low-carbon transformation, the trend of energy investment towards new, superior, and green is clearly increasing, and the influence of international cooperation has further increased. Energy security capabilities have been steadily improving. The electricity consumption of the entire society continued to increase year-on-year in each month of the third quarter. In July and August, it continuously broke through trillion kilowatt-hours and reached record highs. The electricity consumption load reached a record high 4 times, and the electricity supply was sufficient and supply and demand were balanced. New breakthroughs have been made in the green and low-carbon transformation. In July, the installed capacity of photovoltaic power generation historically surpassed coal power to become the largest power source category with installed capacity. Energy investment continues to move towards the green trend. Total investment in fields such as power grids, new energy storage, and charging and switching infrastructure increased 15.3% year over year, and completed investment in the hydrogen energy sector doubled compared to the same period last year. International energy cooperation has opened up a new situation. The APEC Energy Ministers Meeting formed a “1+3+5” achievement system. Sino-Russian energy cooperation is progressing steadily, and the 4th “Belt and Road” Energy Ministers Meeting will be held in Qingdao at the end of November.

The transcript of the press conference is as follows:

Wang Dapeng, Deputy Director of the General Department:

Attending today's press conference were Mr. Xing Yiteng, Deputy Director of the Development Planning Department; Mr. Tan Hongjiang, Deputy Director of the Electric Power Department; Mr. Gui Xiaoyang, Deputy Director of the Department of New and Renewable Energy; and Mr. Wang Yunbo, Deputy Director of the Market Supervision Department. I am Wang Dapeng, Deputy Director of General Affairs. After publishing the content, all department directors made uniform arrangements to answer questions from reporters.

Xing Yiteng, Deputy Director of the Development Planning Department

Dear media friends, hello everyone! Next, I will briefly introduce the national energy situation in the first three quarters of 2026. Since this year, in the face of the impact of the international situation, natural disasters, etc., through the joint efforts of all parties, China's energy supply is sufficient, supply and demand are balanced, and new progress has been made in the green and low-carbon transformation. The trend of energy investment from new to superior to green is obvious, and the influence of international cooperation has further increased. The following highlights four aspects of the situation:

First, energy security and security capabilities have been steadily improving. In the third quarter, the electricity consumption of the entire society continued to increase year-on-year in each month. Among them, in July and August, the electricity consumption of the entire society continuously exceeded trillion kilowatt-hours, 1.04 trillion and 1.03 trillion kilowatt-hours, respectively; electricity consumption reached record highs 4 times, and electricity supply was sufficient and supply and demand were balanced. Since the third quarter, domestic oil and gas supply has been generally stable and orderly. According to regulations, industrial crude oil and natural gas production increased by 1.0% and 0.9%, respectively. The coal back-up guarantee capacity continues to be strengthened. A total of 12 large-scale modern coal mines have been approved this year, and a new production capacity reserve of 22.6 million tons/year has been determined.

Second, new breakthroughs have been made in the green and low-carbon transformation of energy. In July, the installed capacity of domestic photovoltaic power generation historically surpassed coal power and became the largest installed power category in China; at the end of September, the installed capacity of photovoltaics further increased to 1.31 billion kilowatts. Following the first decline in domestic coal power generation to less than 50% in the first half of the year, the share fell further to 49.1% at the end of September, and the share of new electricity generated from clean energy accounted for more than 80% of all new electricity. In July, August, and September, coal power generation decreased by 4.0%, 4.6%, and 1.9%, respectively, and the amount of coal used for power generation decreased accordingly. By the end of September, the country had built and put into operation a new energy storage capacity of 167 million kilowatts/435 million kilowatt-hours, an increase of 63% over the previous year. The average energy storage time was 2.61 hours, an increase of about 0.27 hours over the previous year. The number of hours equivalent to the use of new energy storage nationwide is about 915 hours, an increase of about 10 hours over the previous year.

Third, energy investment continues to move towards new advantages and green trends. In the first three quarters, investment in key energy projects across the country was generally stable, and there was a clear trend of the structure moving towards new, better and greener. Among them, investment related to new power grids was released at an accelerated pace, and investment in fields such as power grids, new energy storage, and charging and switching infrastructure continued to grow. The total investment growth rate reached 15.3% year-on-year. Investment in the hydrogen energy sector has maintained a rapid growth trend, and the completed investment amount has doubled compared to the same period last year. Continue to create a good atmosphere to support private enterprises to participate in energy investment. From January to September, the total investment amount of private enterprises in the energy sector exceeded 145 billion yuan.

Fourth, international cooperation on energy opens up a new situation. In September of this year, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Energy Ministers Meeting was successfully held to achieve fruitful results. The meeting formed a “1+3+5” outcome system, proposed for the first time a path to jointly build an Asia-Pacific energy community, and further forge a consensus vision for deepening energy cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. The 23rd meeting of the Sino-Russian Energy Cooperation Committee and the 8th Sino-Russian Energy Business Forum were successfully held with Russia to promote the steady development of Sino-Russian energy trade and cooperation on major projects. At the end of November this year, the National Energy Administration and the Shandong Provincial People's Government will co-host the 4th “Belt and Road” Energy Ministers Meeting in Qingdao to further promote “Belt and Road” energy cooperation with high quality.

Yesterday, the Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee came to a successful conclusion. The National Energy Administration will earnestly implement the spirit of the Fifth Plenary Session of the CPC Central Committee, combine studying and implementing Xi Jinping's ideology of party building with the spirit of the Fifth Plenary Session of the Central Committee, firmly establish a sense of political authority, set an example in thoroughly studying and implementing Xi Jinping's ideology of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, and set an example in resolutely implementing the Party Central Committee's decisions and arrangements, and persevere in promoting strict government of the Party and the energy industry. Effective land, leading the new energy system with party building Build an energy power, solidly push forward the implementation of the “1+5” energy plan, actively promote the construction of new power grids, continuously expand effective investment in the energy sector, and contribute a lot to promoting the continuous development of the economy in a new direction and improvement. According to the requirements of the Fifth Plenary Session of the Central Committee to complete key tasks at the end of the year and the beginning of the year, the National Energy Administration will urgently plan and promote work related to the peak winter season, closely track the electricity supply and demand situation, promote a steady and orderly recovery in coal production, do a good job of preventing rain, snow, and freezing disasters, carry out work related to production safety, and make every effort to ensure a safe and stable supply of energy and the warmth of the masses through the winter. Thank you all!

Gui Xiaoyang, Deputy Director of the Department of New and Renewable Energy

Dear journalists, hello everyone. Below, I will give a brief introduction to the operation of renewable energy connected to the grid in the first three quarters of 2026. In the first three quarters, solid steps were taken to expand the quantity and quality of renewable energy, and the overall development trend was stable, laying a good foundation for completing the target tasks for the whole year. Highlight the results in two areas:

First, the scale of renewable energy installations is steadily expanding. Renewable energy accounts for more than 70% of the new installed capacity, with a cumulative installed capacity of more than 2.5 billion kilowatts, accounting for more than 60%. The cumulative installed capacity of scenery has exceeded 2 billion kilowatts, accounting for nearly half. The installed capacity of photovoltaic power generation has historically surpassed that of coal power, making it the largest type of power source installed. In the first three quarters of this year, the country added 180 million kilowatts of renewable energy, accounting for 71.7% of the total installed capacity, and continues to maintain the dominant position of new installed capacity. Among them, Fengguang added 170 million kilowatts of installed capacity, accounting for 67.6% of the total new installed capacity. By the end of September this year, the country's installed renewable energy capacity had reached 2,518 billion kilowatts, an increase of 14.6% over the previous year, accounting for about 60.94% of China's total installed capacity; of these, the total installed capacity of scenery was 2.01 billion kilowatts, accounting for about 48.66% of the country's total installed electricity.

Second, there has been a steady increase in renewable energy generation. The increase in renewable energy generation accounts for nearly 90% of the country's increase in power generation, and has become the main source of electricity growth. In the first three quarters of this year, the country's renewable energy generation reached 3.13 trillion kilowatt-hours, up about 8% year on year, accounting for 41.8% of total power generation, exceeding the sum of electricity consumption in the tertiary sector (1610.9 billion kilowatt-hours) and household electricity consumption (1234.6 billion kilowatt-hours) during the same period, which can meet nearly 40% of the electricity consumption of the whole society. Among them, wind power generation totaled 1.92 trillion kilowatt-hours, an increase of 11% over the previous year, accounting for 23.8% of the electricity consumption of the entire society, reaching about 1.2 times the electricity consumption of the tertiary sector (16109 kilowatt-hours) during the same period. Renewable energy generation increased by more than 250 billion kilowatt-hours, accounting for 87.5% of the country's electricity generation increase. Next, I will separately introduce the situation relating to the main types of renewable energy power generation.

The first is the construction and operation of hydropower. In the first three quarters of this year, the country added 9.16 million kilowatts of grid-connected hydropower capacity, including 4.83 million kilowatts of conventional hydropower and 4.33 million kilowatts of pumped storage. By the end of September this year, the country's total installed hydropower capacity reached 457 million kilowatts, including 387 million kilowatts of conventional hydropower and 70 million kilowatts of pumped storage energy. In the first three quarters of this year, the cumulative power generation capacity of hydropower above the national scale was 1033.9 billion kilowatt-hours, and the cumulative average number of hours used by hydropower in the country was 2,576 hours. The second is the construction and operation of wind power. In the first three quarters of this year, the country added 60.66 million kilowatts of grid-connected wind power, including 58.21 million kilowatts of onshore wind power and 2.45 million kilowatts of offshore wind power. By the end of September this year, the country's total grid-connected wind power capacity reached 700 million kilowatts, an increase of 20.4% over the previous year, including 650 million kilowatts of onshore wind power and 49.84 million kilowatts of offshore wind power. In the first three quarters of this year, the country's total wind power generation capacity was 855.4 billion kilowatt-hours, and the average utilization rate of wind power in the country was 92.1%. The third is the construction and operation of photovoltaic power generation. In the first three quarters of this year, 110 million kilowatts of PV were added to the grid nationwide, including 45.8 million kilowatts of centralized photovoltaics and 64.52 million kilowatts of distributed photovoltaics. By the end of September this year, the country's installed capacity of photovoltaic power generation reached 1.31 billion kilowatts, an increase of 16.5% over the previous year, including 712 million kilowatts of centralized photovoltaics and 599 million kilowatts of distributed photovoltaics. In the first three quarters of this year, the country's total photovoltaic power generation capacity was 106.42 billion kilowatt-hours, and the national photovoltaic power generation utilization rate was 93.1%. Fourth, the construction and operation of biomass power generation. In the first three quarters of this year, 770,000 kilowatts of biomass power generation were added nationwide, bringing the total installed capacity to 48.18 million kilowatts, an increase of 2.7% over the previous year. Biomass has accumulated 173 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. Fifth, the construction and operation of photothermal power generation. In the first three quarters of this year, the country added 500,000 kilowatts of installed capacity for photothermal power generation. By the end of September this year, the country's installed capacity of photothermal power generation reached 2.32 million kilowatts, an increase of 43% over the previous year. The cumulative photothermal power generation capacity is 1,456 million kilowatt-hours. That's all for the introduction, thank you.

Wang Yunbo, Deputy Director of the Department of Market Supervision

Dear journalists, hello everyone. Next, I will briefly introduce the electricity market transactions in the first three quarters. From January to September of this year, the overall operation of China's electricity market was stable, and the amount of electricity traded in the market grew steadily, reaching 5853.6 billion kilowatt-hours, an increase of 18.9% over the previous year. Recently, the southern regional electricity market has been officially put into operation, and another important landmark progress has been made in the construction of a unified electricity market throughout the country. In the first three quarters, judging from the scope of transactions, the amount of electricity traded in all provinces across the country reached 45499 billion kilowatt-hours, an increase of 22.0% over the previous year. At the same time, the market promoted the allocation of electricity resources on a wider scale, and electricity traded across provinces and regions reached 1303.7 billion kilowatt-hours, an increase of 9.1% over the previous year. In terms of trading types, the medium- to long-term electricity trading volume is 5218.9 billion kilowatt-hours, accounting for 89.2% of the electricity traded in the market; the amount of electricity traded in spot is 634.7 billion kilowatt-hours. Furthermore, the scale of green electricity transactions across the country continued to rise, reaching 249.2 billion kilowatt-hours, an increase of 6.1% over the previous year, further unleashing the potential for green electricity consumption.

Since this year, we have guided various electricity trading institutions to make good timing connections between medium- and long-term electricity transactions and have expanded the medium- to long-term electricity trading time from about 250 working days to 365 consecutive days of market opening. The continuous opening of the market on a natural day allows operators to flexibly adjust their warehouses around the clock. In the event of sudden changes such as holidays, weather, and load, they can dynamically adjust medium- to long-term electricity contracts in a timely manner to avoid assessment costs caused by forecast deviations. Up to now, with the exception of Tibet, this mechanism has covered the whole country, enabling medium- and long-term transactions throughout the country, regions, and provinces to “open every day, all year round.” Through this initiative, the amount of electricity traded in the national market increased by about 24 billion kilowatt-hours during the summer of this year, which is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of nearly 8 million households. This is a concrete manifestation of the strong role of the unified electricity market throughout the country. Here, media friends are also invited to help us make recommendations. All business entities are welcome to actively participate in weekend and holiday market transactions, especially wind power and photovoltaic power generation. Contract deviations can be adjusted in a timely manner based on the latest daily weather data and load forecasts. There is no need for “Friday predictions and Monday adjustments”. Electricity users in need can also purchase green electricity through more channels and in a more timely manner. That's all I've introduced, thank you all!

Tan Hongjiang, Deputy Director of the Electricity Department

Dear journalists, hello everyone. This summer, the phased high temperature weather process drove electricity consumption load to new highs. The country's electricity consumption exceeded last year's extreme value 15 times, reaching a maximum of 1,557 billion kilowatts, twice that of the United States. Six regional power grids, including North China and East China, hit new highs 23 times, while 23 provincial grids including Beijing, Liaoning, and Jiangsu hit new highs 73 times. Among them, electricity consumption in July and August continuously exceeded trillion dollars. The two-month electricity consumption is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of India, the third-largest country in the world in terms of annual electricity consumption. Facing the rapid growth of electricity demand across the country, compounded by multiple factors such as the blockage of shipping in the strait, high fluctuations in energy prices, and the impact of multiple rounds of typhoons, the power industry resolutely implemented the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, coordinated development and safety, and source network load storage to make every effort to ensure the safe and abundant supply of energy and electricity this summer, successfully completing the various tasks of power insurance and supply this summer, and achieved a good start to the “15th Five-Year Plan” energy and electricity security.

Affected by the strong El Niño incident, it is expected that during the peak winter season this year, the overall temperature across the country will be high, phased cold air activity will be frequent, the fluctuation between heat and cold will be large, and precipitation differences between north and south will be large. The range and intensity of freezing at low temperatures in Hunan, Jiangxi, Guizhou and other places is likely to increase compared to previous years, and there is a high risk of electricity transmission and transformation equipment covered with ice, fans being frozen, and photovoltaics covered with snow. At the same time, considering that shipping in the strait continues to be blocked, the pressure to guarantee primary energy supply is high. Overall, the country's electricity supply and demand remain balanced during the peak winter season this year, but the supply guarantee situation is complicated. If problems such as extreme cold weather processes or tight energy supply occur, supply and demand may be tight during peak periods in some regions, which can be effectively solved through measures such as surpluses and mutual aid. We will take many measures together to plan ahead of schedule all the tasks of power insurance and supply for peak winter energy.

The first is to stick to the bottom line thinking and plan ahead of time to guarantee the supply of electricity for winter energy. We have organized and carried out analysis and judgment on the energy and electricity supply and demand situation this winter, urged the construction and commissioning of various guaranteed power supply, power grids, and energy storage projects on schedule. The “one province, one policy” guides key regions such as Shanxi, Mengxi, Liaoning, Zhejiang, Tibet, Yunnan, and Guizhou to refine and formulate winter electricity insurance and supply measures for peak winter. The second is to strengthen monitoring and early warning, and do a good job of guaranteeing energy supply once. Collaborate with relevant parties to strengthen coal monitoring and scheduling, and urge relevant production enterprises to make every effort to stabilize and increase production on the premise of ensuring safety, and ensure that electricity and coal stocks remain at a reasonable level before winter. Guide power generation companies to make every effort to do a good job in the procurement and transportation of electricity and coal for the winter, and continue to do a good job of controlling the uninterrupted blocking of power units, especially to ensure that cogeneration units in clean heating regions in the north do not cause problems or problems. The third is to strengthen disaster response and continuously improve emergency response capabilities. Pay close attention to the development of the super El Niño incident, issue risk warnings in a timely manner, guide power companies to prepare for rain, snow and freezing disasters, prepare emergency rescue forces in advance, prepare emergency response for emergencies, strictly implement the “restore power first, emergency repair later” work requirements, deal with possible insurance and supply risks in a timely manner, and ensure that the masses stay warm through the winter. That's all for the introduction, thank you.

Answer to reporters' questions

China Securities News Reporter: The electricity consumption of the whole society grew steadily in the first three quarters, installed capacity of new energy sources continued to expand, and the peak summer season ended smoothly. How did the National Energy Administration evaluate the energy and power operation trends and electricity consumption highlights in the first three quarters?

Xing Yiteng, Deputy Director of the Development Planning Department

Thank you to this journalist friend for the question. In the first three quarters, the total electricity consumption of the entire society reached 8073.4 billion kilowatt-hours, an increase of 3.9% over the previous year. Among them, the primary, secondary, and tertiary industries and residents' household electricity consumption was 118.2 billion, 510.8 billion, 1610.8 billion, and 1234.6 billion kilowatt-hours, respectively, up 3.4%, 4.1%, 6.8%, and -0.3% year-on-year, respectively. Energy and electricity run smoothly and orderly, showing the following three characteristics:

First, electricity consumption and electricity load have reached record highs. In July and August in the third quarter, the electricity consumption of the entire society exceeded 1 trillion kilowatt-hours and reached a record high; the electricity load reached a record high 4 times, with a maximum of 1,557 billion kilowatts, exceeding last year's maximum load of nearly 50 million kilowatts; industrial electricity consumption exceeded 600 billion kilowatt-hours for two consecutive months, a record high value. Facing high demand for electricity, the installed scale of power generation in China grew at the same time, reaching 4.13 billion kilowatts, an increase of 11.2% over the previous year. The overall power supply is sufficient, and the guarantee capacity continues to improve. Second, industrial electricity consumption highlights the trend of conversion between old and new kinetic energy. In the first three quarters, the decline in electricity consumption in the industry was mainly in real estate and high-capacity related industries. The cement, glass, and construction industries decreased by 8.1%, 10.7%, and 8.7% respectively; electricity consumption in the high-tech and equipment manufacturing industry increased by nearly 10% year on year, and electricity consumption in the Internet data service industry and the charging and switching service industry increased by 41.6% and 55.4% year on year, respectively, with strong growth momentum. The high-tech industry has become the main driving force driving the growth of electricity consumption in the whole society. Third, due to the weather, the amount of electricity used by residents in their daily lives has declined. From January to September, there was a negative increase in the domestic electricity consumption of Chinese residents. The main reason is that 2025 is the year of extreme heat in China since 1961, which led to a significantly high cooling load base during the summer of last year. During the summer of this year, the average temperature across the country was lower than in the same period last year. The number of typhoons landed too many times, and the rain zone was wide. The low temperature led to a relative reduction in the cooling load in the third quarter of this year, which led to a decrease in residents' electricity consumption in the third quarter of this year. That's my answer, thank you!

Shanghai Securities News Reporter: Since 2026, the field of computing collaboration and direct connection to green power has entered a period of intensive policy implementation and centralized project operation. The top-level institutional framework has been improved at an accelerated pace, and the industry is moving from proof of concept to large-scale implementation. How does the National Energy Administration view the progress made in this regard this year? What else to look forward to next?

Tan Hongjiang, Deputy Director of the Electricity Department

Thank you to this journalist friend for the question. With the rapid development of the artificial intelligence industry, the scale of computing power continues to expand. Direct green power connection is an important implementation path for electricity calculation collaboration. Green power is supplied to computing power loads nearby through dedicated power supply lines, while meeting the low-carbon energy consumption needs of computing power centers while promoting changes in energy consumption models.

Overall, the current collaborative development of computing and electricity is being stepped up, direct green power connections are being rapidly started, policy systems are continuously being improved, and all regions are actively carrying out practical exploration to promote the construction of collaborative computing and electricity projects. In 2026, “Computing and Telecommunication Cooperation” was first included in the government work report and included in the outline of the national “15th Five-Year Plan”. The National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration issued the “Notice on Matters Relating to Promoting the Orderly Development of Multi-user Direct Green Power Connections” (Development and Reform Energy (2026) No. 688), which clarifies the policy guidelines for direct multi-user green power connections. The top-level policy framework for direct green power connections has been further improved, which is of great significance in further promoting the nearby consumption of new energy sources and better meeting the green energy needs of emerging industries such as computing power facilities. By the end of September 2026, 24 provinces across the country had issued supporting documents for direct green power connections. Each region had approved 12 green power direct connection projects, accounting for more than 10% of the approved green power direct connection projects. It can be seen that large-scale implementation of computing power collaboration and direct green power connection is important in promoting energy transformation to collaborative interaction between supply and demand. It is not only inevitable in line with the energy consumption structure adjustment of the computing power industry, but also opens up new space for local consumption of new energy sources, opening up a channel between green energy supply and the demand of the emerging computing power industry.

With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, demand for computing power and electricity will continue to rise in the future, and computing collaboration will continue to deepen. It is estimated that during the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, the country's computing power consumption will increase by more than 100 billion kilowatt-hours per year, and will reach 800 billion kilowatt-hours by 2030, accounting for about 6% of the entire society's electricity consumption.

In the next step, we will continue to make efforts in two areas: First, we will fully implement the “Compute with Electricity and Promote Electricity” requirements, implement the “15th Five-Year Plan” electricity calculation collaborative arrangement for the construction of new power systems, and jointly implement the new power grid and integrated computing power grid construction plans. The second is to use models such as direct green power connection as an important method to promote telecommunication collaboration, further study relevant policies and initiatives, guide localities and enterprises to do a good job in verifying the direct green power connection plan and project implementation for computing power facilities according to local conditions, select typical projects to learn from each other, form replicable and promoted experiences, and better promote the high-quality development of computing and electricity collaboration. We believe that the implementation of the electricity computing collaboration and direct green power connection policy project will strongly support the green development of the artificial intelligence industry and inject new momentum into the construction of new power systems. That's my answer, thank you!

CCTV Reporter: How is the coal supply and demand situation this year? What are the National Energy Administration's arrangements for peaking coal supply in winter?

Wang Dapeng, Deputy Director of the General Department

Thank you to this journalist friend for the question. The national coal market was running smoothly in the first half of this year. In the third quarter, due to the impact of the coal mine accident in Shanxi, domestic coal production declined. Combined with the rise in international energy prices, coal prices rose relatively rapidly in stages. In response to this situation, the National Energy Administration, together with relevant departments under the State Council, actively adopted a series of measures to increase coal production and supply, increasing coal production and supply. Domestic coal production has steadily recovered. In September, industrial raw coal production was 390 million tons, a decrease of 0.9 percentage points from the previous month. Recently, our bureau, together with relevant departments, made a special trip to Shanxi to carry out research and supervision on the resumption of work and production, coordinate solutions to the blockages and difficulties in coal production in Shanxi, study incremental measures, and promote the continued steady growth of domestic coal production.

According to the meteorological department's forecast, due to the El Niño climate, this winter will be relatively warm, and demand for coal for power generation and heating is relatively stable. With the gradual recovery of coal production in key coal-producing provinces and regions, electricity and coal stocks for power plants across the country are at a high level of around 210 million tons, and can be used for 35 days. It is expected that overall coal supply will be guaranteed during the peak winter season this year.

The National Energy Administration resolutely implements the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council on the safe and stable supply of coal during the peak winter season, and is working with relevant departments under the State Council to actively adopt a series of measures to increase coal production and supply. The first is to strengthen the analysis and judgment of the national coal supply situation. Monitor and schedule coal production, prices, transportation, and market operations on a daily basis, and coordinate and resolve key difficult issues in a timely manner. The second is to introduce a policy to stabilize coal production. The National Development and Reform Commission, the National Energy Administration, and the State Mine Safety Supervision Administration jointly issued the “Notice on Strengthening Coal Safety and Stable Production and Supply” to guide coal mining enterprises to optimize production organization, tap the potential to increase production, and maintain stable production and high production on the premise of ensuring safety; classification guides coal enterprises to increase coal production and supply, actively and steadily promote the resumption of production in discontinued coal mines, and that have met production safety requirements to continue organizing production and speeding up joint trial operation coal mine inspection until the end of December this year. The third is to strengthen the Electricity and Coal Long-Term Cooperation Guarantee. Coordinate relevant departments to do a good job of fulfilling medium- and long-term electricity and coal contracts, and coordinating transportation organizations, etc., to increase the supply of electricity and coal. Fourth, start coal mine reserve production capacity. Issue plans for the utilization of coal mine production capacity reserves in accordance with procedures to speed up the release of already built reserve production capacity. The fifth is to carry out on-site supervision. Conduct “peer-to-peer” thematic research and guidance on key regions where there are many temporarily suspended coal mines and production declines have been significant, so as to speed up the resumption of work and production in shut-down coal mines and promote a rapid recovery in coal production. The sixth is to encourage coal imports. A special conference was held to guide key regions and enterprises to increase coal imports and play a good role in supplementing and regulating imported coal. Driven by a series of policies and measures, up to now, domestic coal production has been steadily recovering, international imports of coal have continued to increase, and the coal supply situation has stabilized and improved.

Recently, the National Development and Reform Commission organized a video conference on national energy security and supply for the 2026-2027 heating season to thoroughly analyze and evaluate the energy supply and demand situation and make arrangements for energy security and supply work. In the next step, the National Energy Administration will thoroughly implement the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council on the development of the coal industry, fully implement the spirit of the National Development and Reform Commission's energy insurance and supply conference, step up the implementation of various inventory policies, and continue to study and introduce a number of incremental measures to provide stronger coal use guarantees for high-quality economic and social development and the people to stay warm through the winter. The first is to improve policies and measures to increase production and ensure supply. Optimize the conditions for increasing coal production and capacity, breaking through blockages in securing supply and price stability, and releasing a batch of high-quality advanced production capacity. The second is to speed up the construction of continuous production capacity. Accelerate the construction of approved coal mines, speed up the commissioning of coal mines through joint trial operation, and consolidate the coal production base. The third is to plan emergency reserve production capacity. Coordinate relevant departments to sort out coal mines with good resource conditions and safe and guaranteed production, and speed up the formation of a batch of emergency reserve production capacity. That's all I answered, thank you!

21st Century Economic Report Reporter: According to data released by the National Energy Administration in August, the National Energy Administration issued 354 million green certificates, an increase of 15.75% over the previous month. Can you explain the overall status and price trends of the issuance and transaction of green certificates across the country since this year, and what are the current overall phased characteristics?

Gui Xiaoyang, Deputy Director of the Department of New and Renewable Energy

Thank you for your question. Since this year, the National Energy Administration has continuously consolidated the foundation of the green certificate system, improved the green certificate management mechanism, and promoted the improvement of quality and efficiency in all aspects of green certificate life cycle management. The green certificate market is running steadily, and the number of green license issuance transactions has continued to rise.

In terms of issuing green certificates, the issuance of green certificates basically enables centralized projects to be fully distributed, and non-public power grid projects to break the ground. The monthly batch issuance mechanism operates efficiently. An average of about 300 million green licenses are issued per month, and the current renewable energy generation is the main focus. The supply of green certificates continues to be stable. From January to September of this year, the National Energy Administration issued 2.65 billion green certificates, an increase of 23.61% over the previous year. It issued 221 million green certificates for more than 5 million distributed projects, an increase of more than 2 times over the previous year. The number of green certificates issued for distributed projects increased rapidly. In terms of transactions, separate green certificate transactions and green electricity transactions were promoted collaboratively. From January to September of this year, 598 million green certificates were traded nationwide, an increase of 13.07% over the previous year, of which 355 million green certificates were traded alone and 244 million green power certificates were traded. The green certificate is gradually being integrated into the green electricity consumption assessment and evaluation system of local governments and key energy enterprises, and market transaction demand is steadily increasing. In terms of prices, the National Energy Administration first released the China Green Certificate Price Index in July this year. From January to September of this year, the green certificate price index fluctuated in the range of 181.0 points to 245.3 points; there was a clear difference in green certificate prices in different electricity production years. Among them, the price of a green certificate for the electricity production year 2026 basically fluctuated between 6 and 7 yuan/unit. The price was relatively high. The price trend of green certification was closely linked to market supply and demand, and the guiding effect of price signals on the market gradually became prominent.

What needs to be specifically explained is that at the end of September, under the overall guidance of our bureau, China Southern Power Grid Corporation assisted the Hong Kong Stock Exchange to successfully complete 100,000 centralized cross-border transactions for Chinese green certificates, achieving the first large-scale entry of China's green certificates into the Hong Kong international market, marking an important breakthrough in the international application of China's green certificates. That's all for my answers, thank you all!

Xinhua News Agency Reporter: Since this year, AI computing power has driven rapid growth in global data center electricity demand. According to information, overseas demand for gas turbines has also grown rapidly. The National Energy Administration has just issued the “Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Innovation and Development of Gas Turbines”. What are some considerations?

Wang Yunbo, Deputy Director of the Department of Market Supervision

Thanks for the question. Known as the “crown jewel” of the equipment manufacturing industry, gas turbines are major heavy equipment that guarantees energy security. In recent years, China's gas turbine autonomy process has accelerated markedly, and many landmark results have been achieved. First, heavy gas turbines have achieved a historic breakthrough. The 300 megawatt F class heavy gas turbine is about to begin demonstration operation, and the 50 MW F class heavy gas turbine (G50) has been successfully commercialized and supplied to overseas markets. Second, small and medium-sized gas turbines form a product lineage. 7-40 megawatt gas turbines are gradually forming a competitive pattern of multiple companies and models, and are gradually being exported to overseas markets such as Russia and Central Asia. The third is the initial construction of the capacity of the entire industry chain. After years of research, China has initially built up a full industry chain capacity covering gas turbine design, manufacturing, operation and maintenance services. At the same time, it is also important to note that China's heavy gas turbine product lineage is still incomplete, there is still a gap between performance and reliability and international advanced standards, and there are still shortcomings in some key components, basic materials, and testing and verification capabilities.

As this reporter just mentioned, as the gap between electricity supply and demand in data centers around the world continues to expand, gas turbine production capacity is in short supply, and major gas turbine manufacturers have scheduled production until after 2030. This is both an opportunity and a challenge for China's gas turbine industry. First, there is a demand for energy security. During the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, China will add a certain scale of peak-shifting gas and electricity to enhance the flexibility of the new power system; demand for autonomous gas turbines in application scenarios such as distributed energy and offshore oil and gas production platforms will also continue to expand. Second, the energy transition is being driven. The rapid development of industries such as hydroammonia alcohol, and the green and low-carbon transformation of China's energy and the development of green fuels have opened up new application space for gas turbines. Third, there is a window in the international market. The acceleration of overseas power infrastructure and AI data center construction has provided a broad market for autonomous gas turbines to “go global”.

It is in this context that we, together with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the State Council's State-owned Assets Administration Commission, and the General Administration of Market Supervision, prepared and issued the “Guiding Opinions”. The purpose is to implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions on developing new quality productivity and advanced manufacturing, accelerate breakthroughs of key core technology bottlenecks, comprehensively enhance the independent innovation capabilities of gas turbines and the level of safety and control of the industrial chain supply chain, and transform development opportunities into industrial advantages.

The main goal of the “Guiding Opinions” is that by 2030, China's autonomous gas turbines will basically meet the needs of domestic energy projects such as distributed energy and offshore oil and gas production platforms, and the pilot application of heavy gas turbines for power generation will achieve phased results. Focusing on the entire chain of R&D and design, equipment manufacturing, collaborative innovation, pilot applications, and policy guarantees, the system deployed 16 key tasks. Among them, there are several highlights worthy of everyone's attention: the first is to highlight the empowerment of numerical intelligence. Tasks such as complete machine design and simulation based on artificial intelligence, combustion state monitoring and diagnosis, fault warning, and life prediction have been deployed to promote the intelligent transformation of gas turbine R&D and manufacturing. The second is to focus on being green and low carbon. Accelerate technical research and pilot application of hydroammonia alcohol fuel in the field of gas turbines, build a technical system that is flexible and compatible with multiple fuels, and promote gas turbines to play a greater role in green fuel consumption and flexible peak shifting of power systems. The third is to strengthen policy guarantees. Support the use of autonomous gas turbines in China's gas and power projects, research fault-tolerant mechanisms for the first autonomous gas turbine project, study the establishment of a green channel for state-owned enterprises to purchase autonomous gas turbines, encourage autonomous gas turbines to participate in the construction of overseas artificial intelligence data centers and other projects in an orderly manner, and continue to expand the international market. Fully stimulate the innovation vitality of private enterprises, and support capable private enterprises to take the lead in undertaking independent gas turbine research and application tasks.

In the next step, the National Energy Administration will work with relevant departments to implement the “Guiding Opinions”, strengthen application orientation, rely on energy project construction, and promote the iterative upgrading of gas turbines through pilot applications. Strive to promote the implementation of 3-5 autonomous heavy gas turbines by the end of the “15th Five-Year Plan”, comprehensively enhance the autonomous and controllable capabilities of the industrial chain, and provide strong support for the construction of a strong energy country. That's my answer, thank you!

China Energy Media Reporter: I want to know how the construction of the new power grid is progressing as one of the “six grids”? How much has the investment been implemented? In what areas will the National Energy Administration provide further policy support in the next step?

Tan Hongjiang, Deputy Director of the Electricity Department

Thank you to this journalist friend for the question. The construction of a new power grid is a profound transformation of the new grid structure, new technology, and new services. The National Energy Administration must implement the spirit of the instructions of the Party Central Committee and the State Council on speeding up the planning and construction of new power grids. At the beginning of September, the main responsible comrades from our bureau hosted a new grid construction work deployment meeting to clearly deploy 20 initiatives and 9 major projects in 5 areas. During the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, fixed asset investment in power grids exceeded 5 trillion yuan.

Since the construction of the new power grid began and deployed, all aspects have progressed actively and in an orderly manner. First, it is vigorously promoting the expansion of effective investment. By the end of September, power grid companies had invested more than 600 billion yuan in fixed assets, completing two-thirds of the estimated investment for the whole year. Second, the “west-to-east transmission” capacity continues to improve. The Shaanxi to Anhui project has been put into operation this year, and construction of a number of projects from southeast Tibet to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is being accelerated. A total of 25 UHVDC transmission channels have been built in operation, with a transmission capacity of over 340 million kilowatts. Third, the main grid of the power grid has been continuously improved. The UHV AC grids for the six major regional power grids in North China, Central China, and East China have basically been formed, and the remaining three regions have achieved effective coverage of the ultra-high voltage grid. Fourth, the power supply guarantee capacity and comprehensive carrying capacity of urban and rural distribution networks have improved markedly. Fifth, the world's largest charging network has been built, and more than 24 million charging facilities effectively guarantee the charging needs of more than 51 million new energy vehicles.

In the next step, the National Energy Administration, together with relevant departments and enterprises, will continue to strengthen the construction of new power grids, optimize and improve the new grid structure, break through new grid technology, upgrade the quality of new grid services, and vigorously promote the implementation of key tasks and major projects. I'll answer those, thank you.

People's Daily Reporter: Please tell us about the latest progress in the construction of the Shagahuang Scenic Area and the next work arrangements.

Gui Xiaoyang, Deputy Director of the Department of New and Renewable Energy

Thank you to this reporter for the question. From 2021 to 2023, our bureau, together with the National Development and Reform Commission, issued a list of three batches of large-scale wind power photovoltaic base projects focusing on the desert, Gobi, and desert regions. These three large bases are mainly for local consumption, and the construction work has achieved positive results. By the end of September 2026, the first batch of 94.53 million kilowatt projects for large bases had been basically completed and put into operation; the second batch of large bases had exceeded 34 million kilowatts; and the third batch had built more than 29 million kilowatts. The total construction scale of the three major bases exceeded 157 million kilowatts.

At the same time, the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration are preparing plans for large-scale wind power photovoltaic bases focusing on the desert, Gobi, and desert regions to promote the development and construction of 10 million kilowatt large-scale bases. These large bases are mainly sent for consumption. Currently, we have approved the implementation plans for 14 bases. Among them, the base in the northern foothills of Tianshan Mountain in Xinjiang (Jiangdian to Chongqing) and the Ningxia Tengger Desert base (Ningdian to Xiang) have been put into operation one after another. The scenery of the northwest is being delivered to thousands of households in the central and eastern part of the country. As an important component of the country's new power system and an important implementation form of “west-to-east power transmission”, the economic and social benefits of the “Shagowang” base are gradually showing as the project is gradually put into operation.

Judging from the current operation of the “Shago Desert” base, the large-scale, intensive, and renewable energy development model has improved overall development efficiency, reduced development costs, boosted local employment while promoting industrial development, promoting clean and low-carbon energy transformation, and guaranteeing electricity supply. At the same time, it has promoted ecological restoration in the desert, Gobi, and desert regions, and played important comprehensive benefits in ecological management.

Next, on the one hand, we will accelerate the construction of the second and third batches of large bases, mainly for local consumption, and strive to be basically completed and put into operation by the end of 2027. On the other hand, we are actively promoting the construction of a 10-million-kilowatt “Shago Desert” base. Adhere to the “national game of chess”, combine the national electricity flow, coordinate the planning and layout of the subsequent “Shagowang” new energy base, and collaborate to promote base and supporting construction in accordance with the “trinity” requirements of new energy, supportive adjustable power sources, and transmission channels to provide strong support for speeding up the construction of new power systems and achieving the “double carbon” goal. That's all for my answers, thank you all!

Dubai Sino-Arab TV Reporter: I just mentioned that the “Belt and Road” energy ministers will be held in November. In the context of the current global energy landscape undergoing profound adjustments, how will China push the “Belt and Road” energy partnership to a new level?

Xing Yiteng, Deputy Director of the Development Planning Department

Thank you very much for your interest in the “Belt and Road” energy cooperation. Sino-Arab energy cooperation can be said to be a model for the joint construction of South-South cooperation under the “Belt and Road” framework, and has made an important contribution to advancing the world's energy green transformation process. In the face of the increasingly complex international energy situation, we will resolutely implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions on the joint construction of the “Belt and Road” initiative, and build the partnership into a multilateral cooperation platform that focuses more on green innovation, is more pragmatic and efficient, and benefits the co-building countries.

The first is to continue to strengthen partnership mechanisms to help the “Belt and Road” energy cooperation be steady and far-reaching. Actively promote the establishment of the council, organize the first plenary session of the partnership council to fully discuss key partnership tasks and areas of cooperation; play the role of the partnership secretariat office to actively implement various consensus documents and action plans; expand the coverage areas of the partnership cooperation network, set up think tanks and “AI+ Energy” working groups, and further improve the level of partnership specialization and internationalization. Second, it is guided by the concerns and needs of member countries to accurately serve the energy development of member countries. As the international energy situation evolves and changes, member states have also raised higher expectations for partnerships. At the beginning of this year, we sent a “Questionnaire on Cooperation Intent and Needs” to member states. Based on the feedback results, we have formulated a plan for the current energy ministers meeting to anchor the actual development needs of member countries, strengthen cooperation networks and connect with member states, and focus on strengthening practical cooperation in policy communication, technical exchanges, capacity building, and project implementation. The third is to broadly forge consensus among member countries of the partnership and promote the implementation of more practical results. Implement the “Belt and Road” Green Energy Cooperation Action Plan Division Implementation Plan (2024-2029)” to ensure that key tasks such as jointly improving green energy safety and security capabilities and jointly strengthening green energy technology innovation cooperation are completed on schedule. According to the work goals drawn up in the joint statement of the current energy ministers meeting and other outcome documents, we rely on partnership cooperation platforms to promote more bilateral and multilateral cooperation results, and continuously create a new situation of high-quality “Belt and Road” energy cooperation. We also look forward to your continued attention to the “Belt and Road” energy ministers meeting and Sino-Arab energy cooperation. I'll answer those, thank you!

First Financial Reporter: According to media reports, electricity sales companies in some regions have recently withdrawn from the market at a loss, and the industry's low price internal affairs and contract execution risks have been highlighted, which also poses hidden transaction risks to industrial and commercial users. What regulatory and risk prevention and control measures will be introduced next to regulate the electricity sales market, protect the rights and interests of entities, and guide the healthy development of the industry?

Wang Yunbo, Deputy Director of the Department of Market Supervision

Thank you to this journalist friend for the question. I'm listing a set of data here. By the end of September 2026, there were 3,743 electricity sales companies registered at trading centers nationwide and actually participating in the transaction. From January to September, 878 new electricity sales companies were added and 374 withdrew. The electricity sales companies that withdrew were mainly enterprises that had not carried out business or committed irregularities for 3 consecutive years; during the same period, the country's electricity sales companies generally remained profitable, with a cumulative profit of about 12.7 billion yuan; electricity sales companies represented users with retail transactions of about 3.17 trillion kilowatt-hours, accounting for more than half of the electricity traded in the market.

Electricity sales companies connect with power generation companies and serve electricity users on the other. They are the core players in the electricity retail market and an important part of the unified electricity market throughout the country. With the increase in the frequency of medium- to long-term transactions and the full operation of the spot market, electricity prices in the wholesale market change more clearly with supply and demand, and the professional ability requirements for electricity sales companies are also getting higher and higher. Among them, some electricity sales companies lost money due to insufficient prediction of price fluctuations, irrational competition, etc., and some companies withdrew from the market in an orderly manner in accordance with relevant regulations due to reasons such as lack of actual business for a long time or irregularities. This is a normal phenomenon of market competition. Since all regions have basically established guaranteed electricity sales mechanisms, there are no systemic risks in the electricity market, and electricity supply and electricity prices for end users are generally stable.

In order to further regulate the electricity retail market, we are about to issue a series of policy documents, such as the “Administrative Measures for Electricity Sales Companies”, “Basic Rules for the Electricity Retail Market”, and “Management Measures for Electricity Market Risk Prevention and Control”, etc., to guide electricity sales companies to “improve quality, prevent risk, and promote transformation” from four aspects: one is to strengthen risk management and push electricity trading institutions to “monitor the market day by day”; the second is to strengthen operation management and put forward clear requirements in terms of market transactions and market competition; the third is to strengthen credit management, further carry out credit evaluation work for electricity sales companies, and explore the establishment of an application mechanism for evaluation results; Strengthen the implementation of responsibilities, clarify the responsibilities of all parties, and strengthen the responsibilities and obligations of power trading agencies and power grid enterprises in terms of market registration and risk monitoring.

Promote the healthy development of the industry through multi-faceted initiatives. Here, we also invite all electricity sales companies to serve users as the core, respect market laws, abide by market rules, follow the spirit of contract, participate rationally in the market, and gradually achieve a comprehensive transformation from “price difference arbitrage” to “service value addition.” Industrial and commercial users are also invited to choose electricity sales companies with excellent credit, excellent service, and strong resilience to risks to better protect their rights and interests and better enjoy market dividends. That's my answer, thank you!

This article was selected from the “National Energy Administration” official account, Zhitong Finance Editor: Chen Siyu.