SCIO briefing on China's renewable energy development
0 Comment(s)
Print
E-mail China.org.cn, April 2, 2021
Kyodo News Service:
Just now Mr. Zhang talked about international cooperation, so could you make an introduction to international cooperation on nuclear power, including Hualong One? Besides, with regards to Myanmar, the China-Myanmar oil and gas pipelines are a crucial channel for China's energy imports, and some analysts believe that Myanmar's domestic economy will affect energy cooperation between the two countries, so how do you view Myanmar's situation?
Zhang Jianhua:
The technology for China's Hualong One reactor is very mature. We are cooperating with many countries, and are also vigorously promoting the technology and design in China. We want to share China's good technology and equipment with our friends around the world, and contribute to the environmental protection of the planet. China's Hualong One technology has "gone global" in a very smooth manner.
Regarding cooperation between China and Myanmar, we have paid high attention to the situation in Myanmar -- China's friendly neighbor. As for the energy industry, China and Myanmar have carried out good cooperation in this regard -- China has two pipelines in Myanmar, one natural gas line and one crude oil line. Both lines are currently in safe and stable condition. Here I'd also thank our media friends for your attention.
Hong Kong Economic Herald:
We noted that the report on renewables published by International Energy Agency in 2020 showed China was one of the main forces driving the capacity growth of the global renewable energy last year. How do you view China's contribution to world renewable energy development? Thank you.
Zhang Jianhua:
Thank you for your question. I have just mentioned that China, as the world's largest renewable energy market and equipment manufacturer, has always been committed to strengthening cooperation with other countries in the field of renewable energy, providing Chinese products, contributing Chinese wisdom and strength to the global energy transformation and green development.
We have actively taken part in global cooperation, promoting our renewable energy products, equipment and services to "go global." China has provided hydropower services for a large number of countries and regions. For example, 70% of the world's construction of hydropower stations are conducted by Chinese enterprises. We would say that Chinese workers can be seen almost at every construction site of hydropower station around the world. China's photovoltaic industry has supplied 58% of polysilicon, 93% of silicon chips, 75% of battery chips and 73% of the components for the global market. Meanwhile, China is also the world's largest manufacturer of wind turbines, as its output accounts for half of the world's total. All the above data demonstrates that China is a key player in new energy market, and, without exaggeration, it ranks first in the world.
New forms and models of business are emerging in China as the renewable energy sector scales up. We blazed a new path of poverty alleviation efforts by developing photovoltage (PV) projects in poor areas, thus providing successful experience for global poverty reduction. We have explored new patterns for controlling desertification with photovoltaic technology, and succeeded in the coordinated development of renewable energy and ecological protection. We have also promoted new business models which combines PV power generation and agriculture, fishery as well as animal husbandry. Now, we are accelerating the integrated development of renewable energy with traditional industrial sectors such as construction, transportation and industry, striving to contribute China's wisdom to innovative global renewable energy development.
Especially in recent years, China has vigorously promoted the rapid and large-scale development of renewable energy by providing legal guarantees, planning and guidance, and financial support, etc., making outstanding contributions to the global transition toward renewable energy. By the end of 2020, China's cumulative installed capacity for renewable energy had reached 934 million kilowatts, accounting for one-third of the world's total. In particular, China's newly installed capacities for wind power and solar photovoltaic (PV) power stood at about 120 million kilowatts by the end of last year, accounting for more than half of the world's newly installed capacities for both. This positions the country as a strong force for the development of global renewable energy. The large-scale development of China's renewable energy sector has also strongly promoted the rapid progress of renewable energy technologies, especially those new energy sectors represented by wind power and PV power. With costs falling fast, economic efficiency rising rapidly, and competitiveness increasing swiftly, accelerating the growth of renewable energy—especially wind power and PV power—into the world's new main energy sources is becoming reality. It is fair to say that the rapid booming of global renewable energy would not have been possible without the large-scale development of the renewable energy sector in China, and that China has made contributions to the global transition to renewable energy and climate change response. Thank you.
