State Grid Corporation releases ten measures to serve the high-quality development of new energy

On February 28, the State Grid Corporation announced ten measures to serve the high-quality development of new energy. These measures clearly guarantee an average connection and efficient consumption of no less than 200 million kilowatts of new energy annually during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, aiming to have over 120 million kilowatts of pumped storage in operation and under construction by 2030.

Strengthen coordination and planning. The State Grid Corporation will enhance collaboration with regulatory authorities and power generation companies to implement the national 14th Five-Year Plan, promote alignment between national and local, power source, and grid planning, optimize the scale, layout, and timing of sand, desert, water, wind, and solar bases, as well as centralized and distributed new energy projects within the province, ensuring an average of at least 200 million kilowatts of new energy connection and efficient consumption annually during the period.

Enhance grid resource allocation capacity. The company will implement the 14th Five-Year Plan, increase grid investments, strengthen grid construction at all levels, and strive for the early commissioning of the 15 ultra-high-voltage direct current projects included in the plan. Cross-provincial transmission capacity will be increased by 35%, and a number of power interconnection projects will be completed, doubling regional flexible interconnection capacity to meet the large-scale, efficient deployment of new energy.

Improve new energy hosting capacity. The company proposes to strengthen the coordinated planning and construction of regional main grids, distribution networks, and smart microgrids, build demonstration projects of county-level active distribution networks and village-level microgrids, support industrial green microgrid development, enhance self-management and self-balancing capabilities, and promote nearby development and local consumption of new energy. During the 14th Five-Year Plan, distribution network investments will be increased by over 900 million kVA.

Fully ensure “connect when ready.” The company will make the standards and procedures for new energy connection fully transparent and process all applications online. Utilize “green channels” for investment, bidding, and procurement of connection projects. Newly planned new energy connection projects will be completed and put into operation as soon as possible, existing projects will be fully purchased, and by 2026, repurchase investments will grow by over 50%.

Expand space for distributed energy access. The company will fully implement the new guidelines for assessing the capacity of distributed energy sources, quarterly evaluate system and equipment capacity, clarify open capacity scales, and work with local authorities to improve government-enterprise coordination, information release, and dynamic early warning mechanisms to meet the annual addition of over 60 million kilowatts of distributed connection capacity.

Promote fair and non-discriminatory services for new entities. The company will cooperate with regulators to improve rules and mechanisms, actively support the entry and scientific development of new business models such as direct green power connection, integrated source-grid-load-storage, and other new entities, and support the timely construction of the first 40 zero-carbon parks and subsequent national and local pilot projects.

Accelerate system regulation capacity building. The company will speed up the construction and preliminary work of pumped storage stations in Hami (Xinjiang), Mengyin (Shandong), Antu (Jilin), and other locations. During the 14th Five-Year Plan, new and ongoing pumped storage projects will exceed 30 million kilowatts, with a goal to have over 120 million kilowatts in operation and under construction by 2030. Actively support the flexible transformation of thermal power, new energy storage development, and explore demand-side regulation potential. Improve market mechanisms, optimize dispatch operations, and ensure that new energy storage achieves an annual utilization level of over 1,000 hours.

Strengthen “three public” dispatch to promote new energy consumption. The company will enhance dispatching of new energy plants and storage, leverage source-load interaction and resource sharing, to ensure full utilization of new energy generation. Strengthen market organization, promote continuous trading 365 days a year and 24 hours a day, increase trading frequency, and improve consumption levels. Standardize information disclosure, promptly release safety verification results, and ensure smooth transactions. By 2026, new energy power generation in operational areas will account for 25%, rising to over 30% by 2030.

Expand green power consumption. The company will support renewable energy consumption monitoring, statistics, and weighting calculations, promote hourly green power trading, improve green certificate coverage and service quality, and meet the green power needs of various enterprises. Fully integrate new energy into the market, unleash market vitality, and by 2030, most new electricity demand will be met by renewable energy generation.

Support energy transition through technological innovation. The company will strengthen collaboration with power generation, equipment manufacturers, and research institutions to break through key technologies such as full green power export from sand and desert areas, support large base operation with weak transmission, offshore wind power collection and transmission, and precise prediction and active support of new energy. Accelerate research and application of long-term storage technologies, innovate load aggregation and regulation techniques, improve digital and intelligent grid levels, establish comprehensive technical standards, and serve the safe and efficient development of new energy.

(Source: Economic Information Daily)