China has launched a three-year action plan to improve energy efficiency across nine heavy industries including steel, electrolytic aluminum, cement, flat glass, oil refining, ethylene, synthetic ammonia, methanol, and coal-fired power generation. The policy is a building block for the country's 15th Five-Year Plan and its 2030 carbon peak target. The plan sets specific benchmarks for the end of 2028. Production capacity meeting top-tier energy standards must rise by 20 percentage points on average for seven industries, while coal power must increase by 15 points. Substandard capacity must be eliminated entirely. To support the upgrades, the government is offering investment subsidies of up to 20%, tax incentives, and differential electricity pricing. Technical overhauls like hydrogen metallurgy and oxy-fuel combustion are mandated.
