context: The Energy Law is the nation's first governing the energy sector. It has been 13 years since the first draft. The absence of such a fundamental law has long impeded reforms; the roll-out of many overarching and strategic decisions has depended heavily on inter-departmental coordination.
National Energy Administration issued draft Energy Law on 10 Apr 2020. It stipulates
- energy exploration and development should be consistent with ecological civilisation
- reforming energy consumption, supply, technology and institutions; strengthening international cooperation
- setting up a low-carbon, safe and efficient energy system
- optimsing energy industry and consumption structures
- increasing the share of non-fossil sources: prioritising renewable energy; developing nuclear in a safe and efficient manner
- monitoring the share of non-fossil fuel energy annually
- dividing the national renewable target into provincial ones, the implementation of which will be assessed annually
- setting up renewable energy generation and consumption guarantee mechanisms
- releasing fiscal, financial and price support measures
- ensuring priority grid access for renewable energy
- promoting reasonable development of fossil fuel energy
- promoting clean and efficient coal development and use
- speeding up offshore oil and gas development; encouraging unconventional oil and gas
- developing distributed energy based on local conditions
- replacing fossil with non-fossil fuel energy, high-carbon with low-carbon
- increasing the share of non-fossil sources: prioritising renewable energy; developing nuclear in a safe and efficient manner
- strengthening energy security via
- improving energy reserves and peak-shaving facilities
- enhancing supply and emergency response capacity
- boosting cyber and information security
- ensuring fair access to grids and oil and gas pipelines
- implementing demand-side management
- priortising renewable energy and conservation products in government procurement
- building market structures and institutions conducive to competition; forming market-based pricing institutions in competitive areas
- promoting energy conservation and efficient development and use
- strengthening climate mitigation and response capacity building in energy industry
- energy planning consists of overarching sectoral and regional plans
- overarching plans should be drafted by NEA and reviewed by NDRC
- revamping energy taxes to encourage conservation, reasonable development and the growth of non-fossil sources
- promoting technological innovation
- in key areas including
- resource exploration and development, processing, transportation, clean and integrated use
- conservation and pollution reduction
- supporting innovation platforms
- in key areas including
- encouraging international collaboration
- importing clean and high-quality energy, advanced technology
- strengthening supervision of import and export of fossil fuels and energy-intensive products
- obligations