Fujian Power Roundtable @NRDC  

Sharing available renewable energy between provinces can effectively balance supply and demand across a larger geographic region and enable greater consumption of renewable energy. Southwest China with Fujian province as a potential major hub for offshore wind, and Northwest China where installed wind and solar capacity has already exceeded 269 GW, are prime regions to promote resource sharing that could help accelerate the low carbon transition of the whole country. To that end, NRDC worked with local partners to launch Local Power Sector Roundtables (LPSR) in Fujian province and Northwest China earlier this year, to facilitate stakeholder dialogue and address region-specific challenges to enhance policy implementation. 

Building on the LPSR efforts, NRDC and the Fujian Electric Power Enterprise Association initiated a research project on offshore wind power and microgrids on December 21. Participating experts, including leaders from Fujian’s Development and Reform Commission and major power companies, recommended that offshore wind power planning take into account a broader range of demand beyond just Fujian's local needs and that resource allocation mechanism be improved to avoid project delays. 

Additionally, NRDC and the Dual-Carbon Industry Cooperation Branch of the China Energy Research Society held a LPSR on Northwest China's interregional power transmission lines on December 25. Experts from the State Grid Northwest Branch and the Northwest Electric Power Planning Institute shared insights on the status and challenges in five provinces in Northwest China, including Ningxia, Gansu and Qinghai. The experts also called for placing greater emphasis on enhancing power interconnection and mutual support within the Northwest region-instead of bundling new coal power plants with renewable energy for transmission-to facilitate the export of more renewable energy.