Establish Energy Efficiency Benchmarks, Illuminate Energy-Saving Beacons

Recently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, together with the National Development and Reform Commission and the State Administration for Market Regulation, released the list of 2023 key industry energy efficiency "Leader" enterprises. A total of 69 enterprises from 30 sub-sectors including steel, non-ferrous metals, building materials, petrochemicals, chemicals, textiles, and papermaking were selected. So far, 206 energy efficiency "Leader" enterprises have been announced across 34 sub-sectors, which is of great significance for accelerating energy saving and carbon reduction in key industries, promoting the green transformation of the economy and society, and achieving carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals.

1. Deeply understand the important significance of energy-saving standards in promoting industrial energy saving and carbon reduction.

Energy saving and efficiency improvement are internationally recognized as the cleanest and most economical "first energy." The International Energy Agency regards energy saving and efficiency improvement as the main pathway for global energy system carbon dioxide reduction. According to its analysis, by 2050, efficiency improvements will contribute about 37% to global large-scale CO2 reduction, making it the primary, most economical, and direct path to carbon reduction. Energy-saving standards form the foundation of the national energy-saving system, and China has basically established an industrial energy-saving and carbon reduction work system based on these standards.

First, the industrial energy-saving standards technical system is continuously improved, and energy efficiency indicators are gradually benchmarked against global standards. China has successively issued the "Construction Plan for Technical Standard System in the Field of Energy Saving and Comprehensive Utilization in Industry and Communications" and the "Energy-saving Standard System Construction Plan," strengthening top-level design and organizing the implementation of industrial energy-saving and green standardization actions to accelerate the formulation and revision of industrial energy-saving standards. To date, China has issued and implemented 89 mandatory national standards for energy consumption limits in the industrial sector, 67 mandatory national standards for energy efficiency, and more than 400 other national standards related to energy measurement, testing, and energy-saving technologies, as well as over 500 industry standards. Taking mandatory energy consumption standards as an example, energy consumption indicators in industries such as steel, soda ash, copper smelting, and zinc smelting have reached internationally advanced levels. For instance, the "Energy Consumption Limit for Unit Product of Soda Ash" (GB 29140-2024) shows that compared to the 2012 version, the unit product energy consumption at the first-level energy efficiency for ammonia soda process light and dense soda ash decreased by 16.2% and 16.7%, respectively, and for the combined soda process light and dense soda ash, it decreased by 35.6% and 32.7%, respectively. In 2023, the unit product energy consumption in steel, cement, electrolytic aluminum, ethylene, synthetic ammonia, paper, and paperboard industries decreased by 40.0%, 36.8%, 24.2%, 47.0%, 29.1%, and 40.0% respectively compared to 1990.

Second, strengthen the coordination of energy-saving standardization policies and precisely promote energy-saving and carbon reduction transformation. A series of policies such as "Several Opinions on Strict Energy Efficiency Constraints to Promote Energy Saving and Carbon Reduction in Key Areas," "Implementation Guide for Energy-saving and Carbon Reduction Transformation and Upgrading in Key Areas of High Energy Consumption Industries (2022 Edition)," "Energy Efficiency Benchmark and Baseline Levels in Key Industrial Areas (2023 Edition)," and "Advanced Energy Efficiency Levels, Energy-saving Levels, and Access Levels for Key Energy-consuming Products and Equipment (2024 Edition)" have been successively updated and issued. These continuously emphasize the leading role of standards, guide enterprises in upgrading and transforming processes for energy saving and carbon reduction, benchmark against advanced energy efficiency levels of domestic and foreign production enterprises, dynamically adjust and determine energy efficiency benchmark levels in key industrial sectors, and advanced energy efficiency levels of key energy-consuming products and equipment, promoting continuous improvement of industrial energy efficiency.

Third, build a three-level work system of "benchmarking - compliance - excellence" to promote the application and implementation of standards. The work system of industrial energy-saving supervision as the "bottom line," energy-saving diagnostic services to "promote development," and energy efficiency "Leaders" as "leading geese" is continuously improved, promoting reasonable, compliant, and efficient energy use by industrial enterprises through the implementation of energy-saving standards. Through industrial energy-saving supervision, enterprises are encouraged to benchmark and comply. Since 2016, approximately 40,000 key energy-consuming industrial enterprises have been fully covered by supervision, promoting continuous improvement in energy efficiency levels. According to supervision results, in 2023, the compliance rates with mandatory energy consumption limit standards in the steel, building materials, non-ferrous metals, and petrochemical chemical industries were 99.3%, 97.0%, 99.2%, and 99.6%, respectively. Industrial energy-saving diagnostic services have been implemented to help enterprises understand and benchmark standards. Since 2019, about 700 energy-saving diagnostic service organizations have provided over 20,000 services to enterprises, proposing approximately 40,000 energy-saving retrofit measures from aspects such as industrial process optimization and production organization improvement, energy-using equipment upgrades and operation optimization, utilization of waste heat and energy and control of energy loss, improvement of energy management systems, and optimization of energy structure and systems.

2. The creation of energy efficiency "Leaders" helps industrial energy saving and carbon reduction.

Energy efficiency "Leaders" are an effective means to promote enterprises to benchmark against advanced levels and drive energy efficiency improvement across the industry. The approach is to regularly release lists of key industry energy efficiency "Leader" enterprises with the best unit product energy consumption and their energy efficiency indicators. By establishing benchmarks, promoting publicity, and providing policy incentives, a long-term mechanism is formed to drive overall energy efficiency improvement in key industries, guiding enterprises to catch up with the energy efficiency "Leaders," and timely incorporating "Leader" indicators into national energy consumption limit standards. Since 2016, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, together with the National Development and Reform Commission and the State Administration for Market Regulation, has organized seven batches of key industry energy efficiency "Leader" enterprise selections, releasing a total of 206 "Leader" enterprises across 34 sub-sectors. The demonstration and leading role of energy efficiency "Leaders" has become increasingly prominent, creating a good atmosphere of "learning, benchmarking, and surpassing" energy saving and efficiency nationwide. Provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities also compete to build national and provincial-level energy efficiency "Leaders," jointly promoting energy saving and carbon reduction in key energy-consuming industries.

First, the scope of selected industries has further expanded. The selection scope of energy efficiency "Leaders" has expanded from 5 sub-sectors in 2016 to 37 sub-sectors in 2023, further covering areas with greater potential for energy efficiency improvement, fast-growing industries, and some light industry sectors. The main selection criteria are that the unit product energy consumption level reaches or exceeds the advanced values of the latest national mandatory energy consumption limit standards in the industry and the benchmark levels in the "Energy Efficiency Benchmark and Baseline Levels in Key Industrial Areas (2023 Edition)." In 2023, 69 enterprises from 30 sub-sectors including steel, non-ferrous metals, building materials, petrochemicals, chemicals, textiles, and papermaking were selected, further enhancing the atmosphere of "leading, learning, benchmarking, helping, and surpassing" in industry energy efficiency.

Secondly, the industry's energy efficiency level has further improved. In 2023, the energy efficiency "leaders" include steel (sintering process), lead smelting (lead smelting process, waste battery - recycled lead process), zinc smelting, alumina, cement clinker, flat glass, building ceramics, ethylene (using ethane as raw material), para-xylene, purified terephthalic acid, coal-to-olefins, soda ash [light soda ash (ammonia-soda process), heavy soda ash (ammonia-soda process), light soda ash (combined soda process)], synthetic ammonia, urea, monoammonium phosphate [traditional method (granular)], diammonium phosphate, polyvinyl chloride, radial tires, knitted fabrics and yarns, sanitary paper base paper, tissue base paper and other industry enterprises' unit product energy consumption optimal values exceed the national mandatory energy consumption limit standards advanced values and the "Industrial Key Areas Energy Efficiency Benchmark and Baseline Levels (2023 Edition)" benchmark levels by more than 10%. The optimal unit product energy consumption levels of five industries including steel (sintering process), lead smelting (crude lead process), cement clinker, para-xylene, and purified terephthalic acid have improved by more than 5% compared to the 2022 energy efficiency "leaders", with the para-xylene industry exceeding 15%. By the end of 2022, the comprehensive unit product energy consumption of China's steel, electrolytic aluminum, cement clinker, flat glass and other industries had decreased by more than 9% compared to 2012, all at world-leading levels.

Thirdly, the innovative application of advanced energy-saving and carbon-reduction technology and equipment has been further promoted. Energy efficiency "leader" enterprises actively build rooftop photovoltaic systems to increase the proportion of renewable energy use; optimize fuel structure and coordinate the disposal of waste-derived fuels; apply energy-saving technology and equipment products such as permanent magnet motors to improve equipment energy efficiency levels; apply advanced process control systems to enhance production process control levels; build energy management centers or integrated energy management platforms to improve the digitalization level of energy management. A batch of advanced energy-saving and carbon-reduction technology and equipment represented by high-parameter full coal gas power generation in the steel industry, waste heat recovery from coke oven riser pipes, cement roller press grinding and rapid drying of ceramics in the building materials industry, membrane (zero) level diaphragm electrolysis in the petrochemical industry, and 600kA large aluminum electrolysis cells and new cathode structure electrolysis cells in the non-ferrous metals industry have been promoted and applied.

3. Continuously promote industrial energy-saving standardization and lead energy efficiency "leaders"

Currently, industrial energy-saving work is shifting towards achieving energy low-carbonization, full-process system energy saving, and refined management, and energy-saving standardization work is also facing new situations and requirements. In terms of energy-saving standardization, there are issues such as the lack of energy-saving standards in emerging fields like energy storage, microgrids, and renewable energy utilization; the standardization work in dual control of energy and carbon and digital empowerment is just beginning; and supporting standards for operation, evaluation, optimization, data collection and analysis, testing, and verification in the energy-saving field are not systematic. Meanwhile, statistics show that the capacity with energy efficiency better than benchmark levels in China's synthetic ammonia, calcium carbide, cement, flat glass, building and sanitary ceramics industries is less than 10%, indicating huge room for the promotion and implementation of energy efficiency standards. Additionally, the mechanism for converting scientific and technological innovation achievements into standards is not yet sound, and some key energy-saving and carbon-reduction standard technologies have not timely reflected the latest scientific and technological innovation results, making it difficult to support the large-scale transfer and transformation of technology into practical productivity. Going forward, efforts should focus on doing a good job in industrial energy-saving standardization to provide solid technical support for industrial energy-saving and carbon reduction.

Firstly, accelerate the improvement of the industrial energy-saving standard system. Promote research on industrial energy-saving standards in key fields and key industries, continuously optimize the supply structure of national and industry standards, continuously expand the coverage of mandatory standards for energy consumption limits and product equipment energy efficiency, fill gaps in energy-saving standards in areas such as energy-saving supervision, energy-saving diagnosis, operation testing, and monitoring management, and accelerate research on standards in emerging fields such as green microgrids, smart energy management and control, and electrified equipment. Establish and improve the working mechanism for converting advanced energy-saving technologies, processes, equipment, and products into standards.

Secondly, strengthen the promotion and implementation of industrial energy-saving standards. Strengthen the implementation of energy-saving standards through the energy-saving supervision - energy-saving diagnosis - energy efficiency "leader" system, organize special projects such as energy-saving equipment updates, advanced technology promotion, and regional coordination of energy resources, and strengthen the deep integration of standards and energy-saving work. Guide industry associations, think tanks, and third-party organizations to fully play their role as bridges and links, strengthen energy-saving standard promotion and training, and enhance enterprises' awareness and ability to learn, benchmark, and meet standards.

Thirdly, strengthen the leading role of energy efficiency "leaders" benchmarks. Based on the existing industry scope, focus on key industries and important fields with high energy consumption proportions, rapidly rising energy consumption, and obvious energy-saving driving effects, further expand the selection scope of energy efficiency "leaders", and establish a good atmosphere of "leading, learning, competing, helping, and surpassing" in the entire industrial field. Widely publicize the successful practice models and advanced experience of energy efficiency "leader" enterprises. Encourage industrial enterprises and parks to take the energy efficiency "leaders" in their industries as examples, benchmark and align with energy-saving standards and energy efficiency "leader" enterprises, enhance the application of green and low-carbon process technologies, improve the digital level of energy management, and implement energy-saving and carbon-reduction upgrade projects to achieve compliance and excellence.