On March 22, 2022, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the National Energy Administration (NEA) released the 14th Five-Year Plan for Modernizing the Energy System (hereinafter referred to as “the Plan”). It lays out the overarching roadmap for China’s energy industry by 2025.

Energy security remains the highest priority in the China’s agenda for the energy sector, as was shown during the Two Sessions. By 2025, the country aims to reach an annual energy production capacity of 460 million tons of standard coal, an increase of 12.7% compared to 2020.

However, the Plan does not set a target for the rate of energy self-reliance, compared to 80% in the same plan for 2016-2020, the 13th Five-Year Plan. In this critical period to ensure stable economic development, energy imports will be necessary to support China’s manufacturing sector.