On July 9, the State Council issued the “15th Five-Year Plan Action Plan for Peaking Carbon Emissions” (hereinafter referred to as the “Action Plan”), which lays out a comprehensive roadmap for achieving carbon peaking during the 15th Five-Year Plan period and sets forth the following overarching goals: by 2030, China’s carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP will be reduced by 17% compared with 2025 levels, and the share of non-fossil energy in total energy consumption will reach 25%, thereby ensuring that the carbon-peaking target is met on schedule.

　　The Action Plan systematically lays out 22 key tasks across five priority areas, along with six major projects, covering sectors such as coal chemical engineering, petrochemicals, and green fuels.

　　With regard to accelerating the adjustment and optimization of the energy mix, the Action Plan calls for vigorously advancing the development of non‑fossil energy sources, stepping up the deployment of new energy technologies, and establishing integrated wind–solar–hydrogen–ammonia–alcohol hubs. It also emphasizes the proactive promotion of green‑power direct‑supply models, such as direct connections between renewable electricity and end users. Furthermore, the plan seeks to deepen the clean substitution of coal in consumption, drive low‑carbon upgrades in the coal‑chemical sector, and support the coupled development of coal‑chemical projects with green electricity and green hydrogen. The plan also aims to continuously optimize the structure of oil and gas consumption by actively promoting the use of green fuels—including green hydrogen, ammonia, and alcohol—as well as biodiesel and sustainable aviation fuel; orderly phasing out fossil‑based feedstocks in the chemical industry while exploring applications of green hydrogen, ammonia, and alcohol in this sector; guiding natural gas consumption growth to remain within an appropriate range; and strengthening resource‑conservation efforts across all stages—production, distribution, and consumption—to enhance the efficiency of oil and gas utilization.

　　In advancing the green and low‑carbon transformation of industries, the Action Plan calls for promoting a green and low‑carbon shift in the industrial structure, phasing out outdated and inefficient production capacities and equipment in accordance with laws and regulations, and fostering emerging sectors such as hydrogen energy and green fuels. It also envisages carrying out energy‑saving and carbon‑reduction upgrades in traditional industries; during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, these efforts are expected to yield cumulative energy savings exceeding 150 million tonnes of standard coal. Furthermore, the plan seeks to accelerate the development of zero‑carbon industrial parks and factories, aiming to establish approximately 100 national‑level zero‑carbon parks and around 500 zero‑carbon factories by the end of the 15th Five-Year Plan. Finally, the circular economy will be leveraged to support carbon reduction, with vigorous promotion of resource‑circulating production models.

　　The effective implementation of carbon peaking efforts hinges on a sound and comprehensive institutional framework and robust support mechanisms. The Action Plan proposes strengthening the national carbon emissions trading market, gradually expanding its coverage to sectors such as petrochemicals and chemicals, and prioritizing quota‑based total‑emissions control for industries where overall emissions remain relatively stable.

　　Major projects serve as a robust foundation for achieving the set goals and tasks. The Action Plan focuses on the key challenges and priorities of peaking carbon emissions, proposing six major initiatives—inter‑provincial power mutual assistance, clean substitution of coal consumption, energy conservation and carbon reduction in priority industries, among others—covering sectors such as coal chemical engineering, petrochemicals, chemicals, and zero‑carbon transportation.

　　Among these initiatives, under the Clean Coal‑Consumption Substitution Project, the coal‑chemical industry is to advance low‑carbon transformation by publishing benchmark and baseline levels of carbon emissions for key coal‑chemical products and establishing carbon‑emission caps for these products. Coal‑chemical enterprises are encouraged to undertake low‑carbon upgrades through measures such as optimizing process flows, coupling green hydrogen with hydrogen‑rich feedstocks, and valorizing carbon dioxide, while exploring pathways for developing near‑zero‑carbon coal‑chemical projects.

In key industries’ energy‑saving and carbon‑reduction initiatives, the petrochemical sector should promote energy‑efficient and low‑carbon upgrades of core refining processes as well as facilities producing aromatics, olefins, ethylene glycol, and other products. Accelerate the modernization and upgrading of high‑efficiency systems for steam generation, refrigeration and heating, compressed air, electric motors, and power transmission and distribution, while coordinating and optimizing heat‑exchanger networks, low‑temperature heat recovery systems, and steam‑power systems.

(Source: China Chemical News, July 13, 2026)