China specifies energy targets for 2021-2025

Technicians inspect a solar power storage plant in Huzhou, Zhejiang province. [Photo by Tan Yunfeng/For China Daily]

BEIJING -- Chinese authorities have released a plan for developing a modern energy system during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), setting targets for securing energy supplies and boosting energy efficiency.

By 2025, China aims to bring the annual domestic energy production capacity to over 4.6 billion tons of standard coal, according to the plan jointly released by the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration.

The annual crude oil output will recover and stabilize at 200 million tons, while the annual natural gas output will reach over 230 billion cubic meters by 2025, the plan specifies.

It stresses efforts to advance the large-scale and high-quality development of wind and solar power generation, and develop nuclear power in an active, safe and orderly manner.

On the premise of ensuring safety, China will maintain a steady pace of construction on coastal nuclear power projects to rationally deploy new projects, the plan says, setting the goal of elevating the installed capacity of nuclear power operation to about 70 million kilowatts by 2025.

While boosting energy output, the country is also seeking to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 18 percent during the five-year period.

China aims to gradually increase the share of non-fossil energy consumption to around 20 percent by 2025, and the proportion of non-fossil energy power generation will reach approximately 39 percent, according to the plan.

Eyeing a significant increase in energy efficiency, China plans to lower its energy consumption per unit of GDP by 13.5 percent during the 2021-2025 period.