Plan aimed at enhancing resilience of power network

Editor’s note: China has rolled out its plan for new power system construction during the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) period. It is a comprehensive road map for establishing a green, low-carbon and highly resilient power supply network. The National Business Daily spoke to Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, and Zhang Lin, director of the Department of Planning and Development of the China Electricity Council, on the significance of the plan. Below are excerpts of the interview. The views don’t necessarily represent those of China Daily.

China aims to establish a modern power system with a green and low-carbon electricity supply chain mix. By 2030, nonfossil energy sources are likely to account for 50 percent of the country’s total electricity generation.

The country also plans to develop a modern power grid that is secure, reliable, green and intelligent, serving as a platform for resource allocation and services. It may achieve high-level consumption of more than 2.8 billion kilowatts of new energy and build a nationwide charging infrastructure network capable of supporting more than 110 million electric vehicles by the end of the decade.

The development of an electricity spot market, a capacity market and an ancillary services market is expected to accelerate. These advancements will allow price signals to better reflect the value of electricity across time and locations.

During this transition, energy storage, distributed energy resources and flexible loads will gradually shift from being passive participants to active market players.

During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, China will step up its investment in power infrastructure, optimizing the layout of transmission corridors, strengthening the backbone grid, building a new-generation distribution network and expanding energy storage and electric vehicle charging facilities. The country will also accelerate the digital transformation of the grid through the application of artificial intelligence, enhancing system coordination and flexibility.

In terms of major projects and investment, China plans to commission around 15 new ultra-high-voltage transmission lines between 2026 and 2030, increasing the capacity of west-to-east power transmission to more than 420 gigawatts.

Additionally, more than six regional power grid interconnection projects will be completed, boosting cross-regional power support capacity by roughly 40 gigawatts. At the same time, the country will accelerate the intelligent and digital upgrading of grid networks, promote the development of smart microgrids, and advance vehicle-to-grid integration.

The development of charging infrastructure is included in the five-year plan. It involves multiple segments, including equipment manufacturing, power grid upgrades and operation and maintenance. With its extensive industrial value chain, charging infrastructure also generates strong spillover effects across related industries.

China plans to establish a nationwide charging infrastructure network with more than 40 million charging stations, including around 300,000 high-power charging facilities, to support over 110 million electric vehicles by the end of the decade.