Industry News | What Opportunities Will the Second Batch of National Carbon Peak Pilot Programs Bring?

The 2025 Government Work Report lists "actively and steadily advancing carbon peaking and carbon neutrality" as one of the key tasks for the year, and proposesSolidly carry out the second batch of national carbon peak pilot programs, establishing a number of zero-carbon parks and zero-carbon factories” as a specific measure. This statement reflects China's strategic determination and pragmatic approach in addressing climate change and promoting green and low-carbon development, and needs to be analyzed in depth in conjunction with the macro background and policy logic of the full report.

 

The report emphasizes "actively and steadily" advancing carbon neutrality, both continuing the long-term commitment to the "dual carbon" goals and reflecting a cautious attitude towards the complexities of current economic transformation. The 2024 work review mentioned that "the energy consumption per unit of GDP decreased by more than 3%" and "370 million kilowatts of new installed capacity of renewable energy was added," showing that China has achieved initial results through technological upgrades and energy structure adjustments. The proposal of a second batch of pilot programs in 2025 indicates that the policy has entered a deepening stage, and it is necessary to explore differentiated paths for different regions and industries through pilot programs to accumulate experience for comprehensive promotion.

 

Effectiveness of the National First Batch of Carbon Peak Pilot Programs

 

Overview of the First Batch of Carbon Peak Pilot Programs

According to the National Carbon Peak Pilot Construction Plan issued by the National Development and Reform Commission, the first batch of pilot programs includes 25 cities and 10 parks, covering key areas such as energy, industry, and transportation, aiming to explore effective paths for achieving carbon peaks in regions with different resource endowments. Following are the specific progress of some pilot programs:

 

Main Work and Achievements

 

(1) Energy Structure Optimization

• Zhangjiakou City: Building a national-level renewable energy demonstration zone, the Zhangbei Renewable Energy Flexible DC Grid experimental demonstration project, which can annually supply Beijing with 14 billion kilowatt-hours of green electricity, accounting for one-tenth of Beijing's annual electricity consumption; accelerating the layout of the hydrogen energy industry chain, and building a hydrogen energy storage and peak-shaving power station.
• Karamay City: Promoting integrated "wind, solar, storage, and hydrogen" projects, constructing a large-scale wind and photovoltaic base in the Gobi Desert, with a target of exceeding 7 million kilowatts of renewable energy installed capacity in 2025.
• Yancheng City: The installed capacity of new energy reached 15,481,900 kilowatts, of which wind power accounts for 60%, and offshore wind power accounts for nearly 60% of wind power, reaching 5.54 million kilowatts, which accounts for approximately 46.9% of Jiangsu Province, 14.9% of the country, and 7.4% of the world.

 

(2) Green Industrial Upgrading

• Tangshan City: Focusing on the low-carbon transformation of the steel industry, promoting the application of hydrogen metallurgy and short-process steelmaking technologies, with a target of reducing energy consumption per unit in the steel industry by 20% by 2030.
• Chifeng High-tech Zone: Building an industrial cluster of "metallurgy + new materials + new energy," promoting the comprehensive utilization of copper smelting tailings, and building a "million-ton-level copper industry base."

 

(3) Technological Innovation and Demonstration Projects

• Nanjing Jiangning Economic Development Zone: Driven by the creation of a virtual power plant for energy and carbon, gradually achieving observable, adjustable, and controllable energy and carbon emissions based on electricity, forming five major functions covering "virtual power plant + power trading + integrated energy + smart energy use + energy and carbon management."
• Ordos Industrial Park: With "wind, solar, hydrogen, and storage" as the core, achieving 80% local green electricity supply, and the remaining 20% through smart grid allocation, building a zero-carbon energy supply system.

 

(4) Policy Mechanism Innovation

• Changzhi High-tech Zone: Establishing a "carbon account" management system, promoting carbon emission accounting for key enterprises, and piloting the construction of a carbon footprint background database.
• Chifeng High-tech Zone: Launching the "Carbon Peak Digital Comprehensive Energy and Carbon Management Platform," integrating enterprise energy data, dynamically tracking carbon emissions, and launching a green finance rating system. Successfully issued the nation's first 300 million yuan green + incremental sustainable development linked loan in the zinc smelting industry.

 

(5) Summary and Demonstration Significance

 

The first batch of pilot programs explored regional differentiated low-carbon development models through four paths: energy transformation, industrial upgrading, technological innovation, and policy support. For example, resource-based cities (such as Tangshan and Karamay) focus on the low-carbon transformation of traditional industries, while developed eastern regions (such as Suzhou and Nanjing) focus on the integrated application of green technologies. These experiences provide replicable "national samples" for the whole country, especially breakthroughs in energy structure optimization, industrial ecological reconstruction, and green financial innovation.

 

III. Core Logic of the Second Batch of National Carbon Peak Pilot Programs

 

1. Demonstration Effect from Point to Surface

The second batch of pilot programs needs to address common problems exposed in the first batch of pilot programs (such as high technical costs and insufficient inter-departmental cooperation), and explore replicable models. Zero-carbon parks and factories are not only technology application scenarios but also policy integration platforms:

• Technological Innovation: Relying on parks to integrate the large-scale application of photovoltaic, energy storage, and carbon capture technologies to reduce marginal costs.
• Institutional Innovation: Piloting carbon emission accounting standards, green financial instruments (such as carbon quota mortgage loans), and other supporting policies to promote the synergy of market mechanisms and administrative measures.
• Model Innovation: Through "park-level" energy system optimization (such as microgrids and waste heat utilization), breaking through the limitations of single-enterprise emission reduction.

 

2. Regional Coordination and Industrial Adaptability

The report emphasizes "developing high-quality productivity in a way that suits local conditions," and pilot programs need to combine regional resource endowments and industrial characteristics.

 

Challenges and Responses to Policy Implementation

 

1. Balancing Short-Term Costs and Long-Term Benefits

Zero-carbon transformation may increase the initial investment of enterprises (such as equipment upgrades and technological research and development), while the current economy is still facing pressure of "weak domestic demand and weak expectations." The report proposes policies such as "implementing special actions to boost consumption" and "expanding equipment renewal investment," using fiscal subsidies, tax incentives, and green finance to share the costs of transformation. For example, ultra-long-term special government bonds can be used to support the infrastructure of zero-carbon parks, and the data showing a 15.7% increase in equipment procurement investment shows that the policy has begun to show results.

 

2. Technological Bottlenecks and Shortcomings in the Standard System

Zero-carbon factories need to overcome technological bottlenecks such as hydrogen energy storage and transportation and new energy storage, while the current standard system is still imperfect (such as green electricity certification and carbon footprint accounting). The report proposes to "accelerate the improvement of the data infrastructure system" and "improve the green and low-carbon standard system." In the future, it is necessary to strengthen international standard alignment and promote reforms such as "empowerment of scientific and technological achievements from official duties" to stimulate collaborative innovation between scientific research institutions and enterprises.

 

3. Inter-regional Benefit Coordination Mechanism

Zero-carbon parks may exacerbate inter-regional industrial competition (such as competition for green electricity resources), and barriers need to be broken down through the construction of a "nationwide unified large market." Statements in the report such as "deepening East-West-Central industrial cooperation" and "improving the ecological protection compensation mechanism" suggest that cross-regional green electricity trading and carbon index allocation mechanisms will be established to promote optimal resource allocation.

 

Which industries will this policy bring opportunities to?

 

I. Energy Supply-Side Reform

Benefiting Industries and Enterprises:

• The country is promoting the construction of "desert-gobi-arid" new energy bases and offshore wind power projects, and the installed capacity of photovoltaic and wind power will continue to experience explosive growth.
• Hydrogen energy industry chain enterprises (such as electrolyzer and hydrogen storage tank manufacturers) benefit from the expansion of hydrogen energy application scenarios in parks (such as hydrogen fuel cell forklifts and heavy trucks).
• Example Enterprises: Photovoltaic inverter enterprises, wind turbine manufacturers, hydrogen energy equipment suppliers (such as Guohong Hydrogen Energy).
• The demand for new energy storage (lithium batteries, sodium batteries, flow batteries) is surging to solve the volatility problem of wind and solar power generation.
• Smart microgrid operators (such as virtual power plant service providers) can optimize park energy dispatch through demand-side response technology.
• Example Enterprises: Energy storage system integrators, smart grid solution providers.

 

II. Green Buildings and Industrial Carbon Reduction

Benefiting Industries and Enterprises:

• Zero-carbon parks require ultra-low energy consumption buildings (BIPV photovoltaic building integration, low-carbon cement, etc.), and green building materials enterprises are experiencing an increase in orders.
• Energy-saving renovation service providers (waste heat recovery, intelligent energy management systems) help enterprises reduce energy consumption, such as high-furnace optimization technology in steel plants.
• Example Enterprises: Photovoltaic glass manufacturers, energy-saving renovation service providers.
• The steel, cement, and chemical industries need to apply deep decarbonization technologies such as hydrogen metallurgy and carbon capture (CCUS), benefiting related equipment and technology service providers.
• Example Enterprises: Hydrogen metallurgy technology R&D providers, CCUS engineering service providers.

 

III. Circular Economy and Resource Regeneration

Benefiting Industries and Enterprises:

• The comprehensive utilization rate of industrial solid waste needs to reach more than 60%, and enterprises recycling waste power batteries and waste plastics receive policy support.
• Recycled material manufacturers (such as recycled aluminum and recycled plastics) meet the mandatory replacement needs of the automotive and home appliance industries.
• Example Enterprises: Power battery recycling enterprises, recycled metal processors.
• Park carbon sink project development (such as wetland restoration, forestry carbon sinks) activates ecological value, benefiting carbon credit development institutions.
• Example Enterprises: Carbon sink project developers, biomass energy conversion technology enterprises.

 

IV. Digitalization and Carbon Management Services

Benefiting Industries and Enterprises:

• Enterprises need to establish carbon asset management systems, and the demand for carbon footprint accounting software and energy and carbon monitoring platforms is surging (the market size is expected to reach hundreds of billions of yuan).
• Example Enterprises: Carbon management SaaS service providers, energy Internet of Things enterprises.
• Digital twins and AI energy efficiency optimization technologies help enterprises achieve "dualization synergy" (digitalization + low-carbonization).
• Example Enterprises: Industrial Internet platforms, AI energy efficiency optimization solution providers.

 

V. Green Finance and Comprehensive Services

Benefiting Industries and Enterprises:

• Carbon quota pledging and green bonds and other financial instruments support park construction, increasing the demand for financial institutions to design carbon finance products.
• Enterprises providing "combined heat and power" system integration and park-level energy management services benefit from the operational needs of zero-carbon parks.
• Example Enterprises: Comprehensive energy service providers, hydrogen energy integrated solution providers.

 

Summary

 

The promotion and implementation of the 2025 Government Work Report will drive the restructuring of industrial chains in the energy, industrial, construction, digital, circular economy, and green finance sectors. Enterprises need to seize the following opportunities:

• Technology-oriented: New energy equipment, low-carbon technology R&D;
• Service-oriented: Carbon management, digital solutions;
• Resource-oriented: Circular economy, carbon sink development;
• Policy-oriented: Green finance, standard certification services.

 

Proactive players will enjoy market and policy benefits, while enterprises relying on traditional models may face dual pressures of cost and regulation.

 

Source: Youlvwang