This directive builds on New Energy World’s coverage from March 2026 detailing China's rapid clean energy expansion. That report documented how record solar PV and wind additions enabled non-fossil generation to surpass key national thresholds ahead of schedule. Rapid deployment across western deserts and eastern coastal provinces displaced thermal power baseline operation, while grid operators built ultra-high-voltage transmission lines and energy storage infrastructure to integrate variable generation ahead of the 2030 carbon peaking milestone.

Under the new 15th five-year plan, wind and solar capacity will account for more than 2,800GW of the total 3,500GW national target by 2030. To formalise this strategy, the joint NDRC and NEA policy document establishes four core metrics covering installed capacity, total power generation, non-electricity applications and supply security. In terms of generation capacity, the government expects combined wind and solar generation to exceed 50% of total national installed power capacity by 2030. Looking at output, the national framework projects that annual output from wind and solar power will reach 4tn kWh, supplying 30% of total national electricity generation.

Through these measures, the policy officially establishes wind and solar PV as the primary power sources in China’s national grid. To support capacity targets, the plan mandates the construction of no less than 370GW of new wind and solar PV installations across desert, Gobi and wasteland regions in northwest, northeast and northern China. Within these regions, the plan identifies seven wind and solar bases located across Xinjiang, the Hexi Corridor, the Yellow River Bend, northern Hebei and the Songliao Basin as the primary growth drivers.

Provincial and municipal governments, energy regulators and state-owned enterprises carry out these projects directly, to ensure compliance. In doing so, authorities must balance green transition projects with energy supply security while aligning local development with the overarching national framework. Operational deployment in the three northern regions combines solar PV installation with desertification control, ecological restoration and ultra-high-voltage power transmission lines. The plan also establishes dedicated bases designed for 100% cross-provincial clean electricity transmission. Beyond the northern desert bases, the strategy calls for deepsea offshore wind installation along coastal regions, while also outlining plans for hydro-wind-solar hybrid facilities in southwestern China.

In addition to large utility bases, the policy details show plans for decentralised rooftop solar PV and scattered onshore wind projects across urban and rural zones. To address grid variability and peak supply shortages, the document introduces a reliable energy substitution framework. In practice, this framework mandates matching energy storage capacity and grid-dispatch mechanisms to maintain steady supply.

Expanding beyond power generation, the document calls for non-electricity uses of renewable energy, including green hydrogen production and renewable thermal heating, to increase by 1.5 times compared to 2025 levels. Confirming these targets, Bloomberg data cited that total renewable energy consumption must reach 1.8bn t of standard coal equivalent by 2030, rising from 1.18bn t in 2025.

To build the necessary industrial foundation, the national government is mandating technological upgrades across core manufacturing sectors, including solar modules, wind turbines and energy storage equipment. To facilitate international trade, it directs domestic manufacturers to pursue international clean energy standards and product certifications.

‘The plan will strengthen China’s energy security during global energy market instability while helping the country move into a time when non-fossil energy becomes the dominant source of supply,’ said Tian Zhiyu, Director of the Centre for Energy Sustainable Development under the Energy Research Institute of the NDRC.

Alongside the renewable plan, national authorities released a complementary five-year framework for green consumption. Focusing on industry, this green consumption directive mandates the expansion of new-energy vehicle (NEV) production and supply chains. In tandem, the government published a national environmental monitoring five-year plan focused on expanding greenhouse gas monitoring capacity, which establishes system-wide mechanisms to evaluate climate risks across industrial sectors.

Broadening environmental policy, the government also released a national health five-year plan requiring public health systems to implement health adaptation measures in response to climate change. With current grid pressure, the national grid recorded a peak power load of 1,551GW in July, driven by industrial output, extreme heat and electric vehicle (EV) charging. Highlighting potential strain, industry news outlet China Power News reported that peak electricity loads could exceed 1,600GW during widespread heatwaves, as power demand from EV charging and battery-swapping infrastructure rose 57% year-on-year during July.

Looking at generation statistics, national data shows thermal power generation rose 0.5% year-on-year in June, while solar generation grew 14.2%. Wind power generation declined 5.6% during the same month due to seasonal wind conditions, while China’s domestic coal mining output fell to 380 million tonnes (mn t) in June, representing a 9.7% decline from the previous year. On the export front, customs data indicates China’s exports of EVs, lithium-ion batteries and solar cells reached $118bn between January and June, up 52% year-on-year. Similarly, exports of wind turbines recorded a 36% year-on-year increase during the first six months of the year.

To support energy reforms, Chinese financial authorities ended tax exemptions for standard batteries and solar cells, imposing a standard consumption tax while exempting advanced technologies. At the regional level, departments are aligning local laws with national targets, as seen in Hainan Province’s final approval of a complete ban on fossil-fuel car sales by 2030, where Hainan mandates that all new public, commercial and private vehicles must be NEV models by 2030.

Read New Energy World’s March 2026 article here.