Zero-Carbon Park Undercover Battle: Who is Fighting for the Discourse Power of "Unit Energy Consumption Carbon Emissions"?

2025 In July, an electrolytic aluminum company in Inner Mongolia was excluded from the zero-carbon park application list due to exceeding the unit energy consumption carbon emissions standard by 0.1 tons per ton of standard coal; at the same time, a data center in Chongqing was forced to shelve its expansion plan—simply because the local wind and solar resources were scarce, and the cost of green electricity was 2.2 times that of Inner Mongolia. The root cause of these two incidents points directly to the seemingly cold red line in the "Notice on Carrying out Zero-Carbon Park Construction" issued by three national ministries (hereinafter referred to as the "Notice"):

" Unit energy consumption carbon emissions ≤ 0.2-0.3 tons per ton of standard coal"

—— A numerical difference less than the thickness of a coin is reconstructing the lifeline of China's high energy-consuming industries.

1. Indicator Reconstruction: Why "Unit Energy Consumption Carbon Emissions"?

1. Policy Implication: Strategic Shift from "Energy Consumption Control" to "Energy Optimization"

The "Notice" lists "unit energy consumption carbon emissions" as the sole core indicator (with clean energy proportion and others only as guiding indicators), which is a key move shifting from dual energy control to dual carbon emission control:

• Breaking the shackles of total energy consumption: Allowing parks in green electricity-rich areas to develop high energy-consuming industries, such as Ordos wind-solar power hydrogen steelmaking and Ulanqab green electricity data centers;
• Forcing energy structure upgrades: Among carbon emissions per ton of standard coal, coal power reaches as high as 2.66 tons, green electricity approaches zero, making the indicator an "invisible assessment ruler" for green electricity penetration rate.

2. Technical Essence: The Carbon Emission Factor Game of Energy Types

The carbon emission factors of different energy sources vary greatly:

Energy Type	Carbon Emission Factor   (kgCO ₂ /kg per ton of standard coal)	Difficulty to Meet Standard
Coal	2.66	Impossible to meet standard
Natural Gas	1.56	Extremely difficult to meet standard
Grid Electricity Purchase	1.79 (2022 National Average)	Requires 90% green electricity
Wind and Solar Green Electricity	≈0	Naturally meets standard
Note: If a park uses 100% green electricity, unit energy consumption carbon emissions can be reduced to below 0.05 tons, far better than the 0.2 threshold.

 

2. Industry Shock: The Life-and-Death Speed of Steel and Data Centers

1. Steel Industry: Cost Gap Between East and West Reaches 300 Yuan/Ton

Region	Compliance Path	Incremental Cost	Impact on Competitiveness
Inner Mongolia	Green Electricity Hydrogen Direct Reduced Iron (DRI)	+280 Yuan/Ton	Exports to EU exempt from CBAM tariffs
Chongqing	High-priced green electricity purchase + carbon capture (CCUS)	+580 Yuan/Ton	Loss of price advantage in local market
Data Source: Ordos Zero-Carbon Aluminum Project Practice and Heavy Steel Group Estimates
Core Contradiction Resource endowment differences cause western parks to "naturally meet standards" while eastern parks "technically struggle."

 

2. Data Centers: The PUE Myth Yields to Carbon Intensity

Traditional data centers pursue low PUE (energy use efficiency), but the "Notice" makes green electricity penetration the new core competitiveness:

Hulunbuir "Cold Pole Data Center": Utilizes -40°C natural cooling + 100% green electricity, PUE only 1.092, unit energy consumption carbon emissions 0.08 tons per ton of standard coal;

Shanghai Data Center: PUE As low as 1.15, but relies on coal power, carbon emissions reach 1.9 tons per ton of standard coal—requires purchasing 90% green electricity to meet standards, cost surges by 35%.

3. Dispute Over Discourse Power: The Game and Compromise Among Three Types of Players

1. Traditional Industry Groups: Call for "Historical Emission Baseline Method"

Steel and chemical associations jointly propose: using the average carbon intensity from 2018-2022 as the baseline, setting differentiated reduction gradients (e.g., Shanxi coking park allows 0.5 tons per ton of standard coal) to avoid "shock transformation."

2. New Energy Forces: Strongly Promote "Green Electricity Deduction Coefficient"

Goldwind Technology, LONGi Green Energy, etc. suggest: 1 kWh of green electricity deducts 1.5 kWh of carbon emissions, incentivizing enterprises to prioritize green electricity procurement rather than relying on carbon capture.

3. Local Governments: Compete for "National Pilot" Policy Privileges

• Inner Mongolia applies to raise the "green electricity park" indicator to 0.4 tons per ton of standard coal, supporting hydrogen-based metallurgy and other long industrial chains;  
• Jiangsu requests exemption of scope 3 emissions (supply chain indirect emissions) for chip manufacturing parks to prevent industrial outflow.

4. Breakthrough Path: Differentiated Indicators and Regional Coordination Mechanism

1. Industry Classification: Setting Flexible Thresholds Based on Irreplaceability

Industry Category	Unit Energy Consumption Carbon Emission Threshold  ( tons/ton standard coal equivalent)	Basis
Strategic Supply Assurance Category (Nuclear Power Equipment, Chips)	≤0.5	Ensuring Industrial Chain Security
Export-Oriented Category (Electrolytic Aluminum, Lithium Batteries)	≤0.3	Responding to EU CBAM Carbon Tariffs
Domestic Demand Assurance Category (Cement, Glass)	≤0.4 (5-year transition period)	Avoiding Price Fluctuations in Livelihood Goods

 

 

2. Regional Coordination: Building a "Green Power Enclave" Cross-Province Trading Mechanism

Case Study: Datang Ulanqab Data Center sold computing power of 6,400 cabinets to Beijing enterprises; buyers paid a premium to obtain green power certificates, increasing revenue of Inner Mongolia park by 23%;

Policy Innovation: Allowing eastern parks to invest in western wind and solar projects and deduct their own carbon emissions according to equity proportion.

3. Technical Buffer: Establishing Transition Period and Dynamic Calibration

2026-2030 Implement "annual decrement thresholds" (e.g., steel industry from 0.5 tons → 0.3 tons/ton standard coal equivalent); assess technology cost decline curve every two years (e.g., green hydrogen manufacturing cost must be <15 yuan/kg), dynamically adjust indicators.

Conclusion: From "Indicator Competition" to "Productivity Revolution"

When Baotou Steel Group replaces coke with green power hydrogen metallurgy, and Hulunbuir Data Center drives computing power with cold waves— The essence of the unit energy consumption carbon emission indicator is to force the genetic recombination of high energy-consuming industries and new energy. The endgame of this covert battle should not be resource crushing from the west to the east, but rather a nationwide coordination of "wind and solar resources - technological capability - industrial demand." Only by rejecting "one-size-fits-all," allowing steel to have green power resilience and data centers to carry green certificate genes, can Chinese manufacturing weather the zero-carbon storm and seize the global green industrial crown.

Data Lighthouse: If differentiated indicators are implemented, by 2030 the country can reduce industrial transfer costs by 2.1 trillion yuan nationwide, while increasing wind and solar consumption rates by 18 percentage points. This is not only a victory in emission reduction but also the awakening of new quality productivity.