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National Energy Administration: Breaking Down Barriers Among Green Power Trading, Green Certificate Issuance and Carbon Emission Accounting

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2026/7/31 Viewed：

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On July 30, the National Energy Administration (NEA) held a regular press conference. Pan Huimin, Deputy Director General of the Department of New Energy at the NEA, stated that this year’s Government Work Report explicitly called for the expansion of green electricity utilization.

As a core pathway for the green and low-carbon transformation of the energy sector, the large-scale adoption of green electricity provides irreplaceable strategic support for promoting the high-quality development of renewable energy and achieving China’s carbon peaking goals on schedule. To this end, the NEA has focused on three key areas of work.

Expanding Green Electricity Consumption Through a Combination of Mandatory and Voluntary Measures

Pursuant to the Energy Law, the NEA issued the Implementation Measures on Minimum Renewable Energy Consumption Ratio Targets and the Renewable Energy Power Consumption Weighting Responsibility System this June.

The document sets minimum renewable power consumption targets for major energy-intensive industries. Meanwhile, enterprises in such sectors are encouraged to lift their renewable power consumption above national mandatory thresholds. By pairing mandatory obligations with voluntary participation, the policy builds a dual-drive mechanism to boost green power demand, balance supply and demand, and bolster the green momentum underpinning economic and social development.

Achieving Full Coverage of Green Certificate Issuance to Strengthen the Foundation of Green Power Consumption

The Implementation Measures specify that entities may meet their minimum renewable power consumption targets via multiple channels: self-generation and self-consumption, direct green power grid access, and the trading or transfer of green certificates and green power.

Previously, environmental attributes associated with self-generation and self-consumption projects, as well as direct green power connection projects, could only be verified through physical metering methods. In June, the NEA issued the Notice on Organizing the Issuance of Green Certificates for Renewable Energy Power Generation Projects in Non-Public Power Grids, enabling green certificate issuance for renewable energy projects that are not directly connected to the public grid.

This initiative closes the final gap in the green certificate issuance system and establishes a complete data chain for accounting and verification across various green electricity consumption scenarios.

Promoting the Integration of Electricity, Carbon, and Green Certificate Systems to Unlock Additional Green Power Demand

The energy sector remains the primary battlefield for carbon emission reduction. Promoting the integration of electricity consumption, carbon accounting, and green certificate mechanisms is essential for unlocking further energy-saving and carbon-reduction potential. The key lies in accurately accounting for indirect carbon emissions from electricity consumption and recognizing the carbon reduction value of green certificates and green electricity.

In May, the NEA released the Guidelines for Non-Fossil Energy Electricity Consumption Accounting (Trial), which clarified the recognition methods for non-fossil electricity consumption through electricity trading and green certificate transactions. These guidelines effectively support the accounting of indirect carbon emissions associated with electricity use and provide a foundational methodology for the effective integration of electricity, carbon, and green certificate systems.

The framework is expected to encourage energy-intensive enterprises to proactively reduce fossil energy consumption and accelerate their transition toward greener energy sources.

Launch of China Green Certificate Price Index

Last week, the NEA officially released the China Green Certificate Price Index. By providing transparent pricing signals, the index helps accurately match supply and demand participants in the green certificate market.

The launch of the index marks a significant step toward a more standardized, orderly, refined, and efficient green certificate market in China.

Looking ahead, the NEA will continue to implement the strategic decisions and deployments of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, remain committed to the national strategy of building a strong energy sector and achieving the “Dual Carbon” goals, and further promote renewable energy consumption and integration. Through stronger policy support and market mechanisms, the administration aims to achieve both higher-quality development and reasonable quantitative growth in renewable energy deployment.

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