Beijing – China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and seven other government departments announced this week a new action plan to promote “high-quality development of the new-type energy storage manufacturing industry.”
Greenpeace East Asia Beijing-based project lead Yao Yi (she/her) said:
“This signals a critical shift to boost the energy storage industry. Energy storage will play a key role in integrating massive amounts of new wind and solar into China’s grid. Energy storage will undoubtedly be central to new energy systems in China. This plan addresses intensive competition in the industry and sets guardrails to prevent price drops in a race to the bottom. This could be seen as a policy to avoid ‘involution’. The policy also aims to reshuffle market players and help the industry expand and see higher utilization rates.
“Energy storage is an essential technology for the energy transition to progress. But until the energy transition progresses, the oncoming need for this technology will not appear in existing demand. Currently, there is a mismatch between manufacturing capabilities and existing demand on the grid. Integrating more energy storage will significantly contribute to China’s energy transition, including the grid’s flexibility and ability to integrate renewable energy. This plan is particularly important in regions like Guangdong, China’s largest regional economy, which has already identified energy storage as a ‘strategic pillar industry.”
ENDS
For media enquiries please contact:
Qilin Liu, Greenpeace East Asia, Beijing, ([email protected])
Greenpeace International Press Desk, [email protected], +31 20 718 2470 (24 hours)
