China’s National Energy Administration directed faster approvals and construction for major transmission corridors and other grid projects.

China’s National Energy Administration (国家能源局) convened a new-grid construction deployment meeting on September 1. The agency called for faster approval and construction of major grid projects, including large transmission corridors, alongside stronger overall coordination and policy implementation.

The agency said electricity demand during the Fifteenth Five-Year Plan period (十五五) was expected to continue growing by approximately 5% annually. It also cited a rising renewable-energy share, increasing demand from advanced industries for green and high-quality electricity, emerging operating models and intensified competition in core technologies.

The planned architecture would coordinate the bulk power grid, distribution networks and flexible smart microgrids. The agency called for accelerated research and deployment involving AI Plus (人工智能+), grid-forming technologies, intelligent dispatch and long-duration energy storage.

The meeting also addressed efficient renewable-energy interconnection and consumption, high-quality power supply, and coordination between computing and electricity. It emphasized bulk-grid stability, project safety and quality, disaster response and wider grid resilience.