SHANGHAI, Jul 7 (SMM) — SMM learned from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Development and Reform Commission that the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Development and Reform Commission, Industry and Information Technology Bureau and Energy Bureau issued the "Notice on Several Guarantee Measures to Ensure the Completion of the Energy Consumption Dual Control Targets in the Fourteenth Five-Year Plan” on March 9, the specific text as follows.

Several safeguard measures to ensure the completion of the "14th Five-Year Plan" energy consumption dual control objectives and tasks

In order to thoroughly implement the CPC Central Committee and the State Council’s decision and deployment on dual control of energy consumption, ensure the completion of the autonomous region’s "14th Five-Year Plan" energy dual control goals and tasks, accelerate the promotion of high-quality development, and promote the construction of ecological civilization, the following safeguard measures have been formulated.

Adhere to and improve the dual control system of energy consumption

1. Strictly implement target responsibilities. The dual control target for energy consumption of the whole district in 2021 is set to reduce the energy consumption per unit of GDP by 3%, the increase in energy consumption is controlled at about 5 million mt of standard coal, and the total energy consumption growth rate is controlled at about 1.9%. Energy consumption per unit of industrial added value (equivalent value) decreases by more than 4%. Decompose and issue the dual energy consumption control targets of all leagues and cities in 2021 first. After the State Council officially issues the energy consumption dual control targets of the autonomous region during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, it will be decomposed and distributed to all leagues and cities in a timely manner.

2. Strictly restrict energy conservation review. Strengthen the assessment of the impact of the "14th Five-Year Plan" on the dual control of energy consumption and the source review of energy consumption indicators for newly built high-energy-consuming projects. For high-energy-consuming projects that have not implemented energy consumption indicators, energy-saving reviews will not be approved. Improve the coordination and linkage mechanism for project approval and energy-saving review, and implement the approval, filing, and energy-saving review of high-energy-consuming projects in areas with severe energy dual control and insufficient energy space. If construction is really necessary, it must implement energy consumption reduction replacement. Strengthen the supervision during and after the event, and strengthen the energy-saving acceptance of project construction and commissioning. Explore the establishment of a benefit evaluation system for energy consumption.

Since the implementation of the energy-saving review of fixed asset investment projects (the "Interim Measures for the Energy-saving Evaluation and Review of Fixed Assets Investment Projects of the National Development and Reform Commission" 2010 Order No. 6), high-energy-consuming projects that have not undergone energy-saving reviews and other illegal constructions have been cleaned and rectificated with sorting treatment.

All illegal construction projects will be stopped. If it is really necessary to continue construction, it should be included in the local energy consumption budget management to meet the requirements of the local energy consumption double control target. Construction can continue only after implementing the energy consumption index, implementing punitive measures and completing relevant procedures. All projects built and put into production in violation of regulations will stop production, and production can only continue after the energy consumption indicators have been implemented, punitive measures have been implemented, and relevant procedures have been completed.

3. Fully implement energy budget management. Establish a three-level energy-consumption dual-control and hierarchical budget management mechanism for banner county, league city, and autonomous region, formulate five-year and annual energy budget management plans, and incorporate the new energy use space issued by the state and the energy use space vacated by saving energy and tapping potential and eliminating backwardness into the energy use budget management, and new high-energy-consuming projects must meet the requirements for total energy consumption control in the region and reduction in energy consumption per unit of GDP.

4. Strengthen the implementation of responsibilities. Establish a dual-control management system for energy consumption that "autonomous regions make overall plans, league cities take overall responsibility, departments implement industry responsibilities, and enterprises implement main responsibilities". Formulate and implement the Autonomous Region's "Duty Control of Energy Consumption by the Government and Related Departments" to consolidate the responsibilities of governments at all levels and related departments. Strengthen the notification, interview, supervision, and assessment mechanisms, improve the assessment index system for the dual-control target responsibility evaluation of energy consumption by the league city administration and the government, and strengthen the application of the results of the dual-control energy consumption assessment.

5. Consolidate the dual control responsibilities of energy consumption in the league. The administrative offices of the leagues and the municipal people's government are responsible for the dual control of energy consumption in the region, and the main leaders of the administrative offices and the government are the first responsible persons. It is necessary to give full play to the leading role of the government, plan strictly for the dual control of energy consumption during the "14th Five-Year Plan", integrate the dual control of energy consumption throughout the entire process and various fields of economic and social development, and comprehensively apply economics, laws, standards, markets, and necessary administrative measures to effectively do a good job in dual control of energy consumption. It is necessary to insist on "energy saving priority, and acting on the basis of energy". When planning industries and introducing projects, all regions must insist on the dual control of energy consumption, resolutely curb the blind development of high-energy-consuming industries and low-level redundant construction, control the new energy consumption of high-energy-consuming enterprises in stock, rationally arrange the timing of the commissioning of newly built high-energy-consuming projects, resolutely maintain the bottom line of dual control of energy consumption, and ensure the completion of the "14th Five-Year Plan", especially the goal of dual control of energy consumption in 2021.

6. Implement the main energy-saving responsibility of key energy-consuming units. Implement the "Implementation Rules for the Energy Conservation Management of Key Energy-Using Units in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region" and "The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region's Measures for the Identification and Recording of Untrustworthy Behaviors in Energy Conservation", etc., strengthen the assessment of energy-saving target responsibilities of key energy-consuming units, improve the reporting system of energy utilization, and promote the establishment of a sound energy management system and Energy measurement system, organize and carry out energy audits, voluntary energy conservation commitment activities, and promote key energy users to improve energy efficiency.

Accelerate the structural adjustment of energy-intensive industries

7. Control the production capacity of high-energy-consuming industries. From 2021, coke (blue charcoal), calcium carbide, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), synthetic ammonia (urea), methanol, ethylene glycol, caustic soda, and soda ash will no longer be approved (except for projects encouraged by Central and Inner Mongolia in "Catalogue of Encouraged Industries in the Western Region (2020)) 》), ammonium phosphate, yellow phosphorus, cement (clinker), flat glass, graphite electrodes below ultra-high power, iron and steel (in the publicity stage of capacity replacement, implemented in accordance with national regulations), ferroalloy, aluminium, alumina (except alumina extracted from high-aluminum fly ash), sapphire, polysilicon without downstream conversion, monocrystalline silicon and other new capacity projects, if it is really necessary to construct, the production capacity and energy consumption reduction replacement must be implemented in the region. Except for modern coal chemical projects that are planned by the state and the autonomous region's chain extension and replenishment, in principle, no new modern coal chemical projects will be approved during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period. Reasonably and orderly control the scale of data center construction, and strictly prohibit new virtual currency mining projects.

8. Raise industry access standards. For new high-energy-consuming projects, on the premise of meeting the requirements of dual control of energy consumption in the region, the process technology and equipment must reach the domestic advanced level, and the energy utilisation efficiency must reach the national advanced standard. Reconstruction of steel, aluminium, ferroalloy, cement, coke, and calcium carbide projects must strictly implement the "Notice on Improving Access Conditions for Construction Projects in Certain Industries" (Inner Mongolia Industry and Information Technology Bureau [[2019]] No. 454). Orderly raise local standards for energy consumption quotas for high-energy-consuming industries in the autonomous region.

9. Speed up the elimination of backward and excess production capacity. Guide the orderly exit of restricted capacity (equipment) in industries with excess capacity, and implement capacity replacement and upgrading. Enterprises (equipment) that are included in the "National Industrial Policy Guidance Catalogue" (2019 Edition) for elimination and stop production for more than one year in 2020 are not allowed to perform capacity replacement. Specifically implemented in accordance with the following principles.

Iron and steel: pig iron blast furnaces for steelmaking with an effective volume of less than 1,200 cubic meters, steel converters with a nominal capacity of less than 100 mt, and electric arc furnaces with a nominal capacity of less than 100 mt (alloy steel 50 mt) will be withdrawn in principle by the end of 2023. Those eligible can implement capacity replacement based on the country standard.

Ferroalloys: submerged arc furnaces of 25,000 kVA and below (except for special ferroalloys, the specific types of special ferroalloys are determined by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology), in principle, will be withdrawn before the end of 2022. The production capacity reduction replacement can be implemented at 1.25:1. 　　

Calcium carbide: submerged arc furnaces below 30,000 kVA, in principle, will be withdrawn before the end of 2022. Those that meet the requirements can be replaced by reduction in production capacity at 1.25:1.

Coke: The height of the coking chamber less than 6.0 meters for top-loading coke ovens, the height of the coking chamber less than 5.5 meters for tamping coke ovens, and coking projects with an annual capacity of less than 1 million mt, in principle, will be withdrawn before the end of 2022. Capacity replacement can be implemented according to national standards.

Graphite electrodes: ordinary power and high-power graphite electrode pressing equipment, baking equipment and production lines and graphite electrode production lines with a diameter of 600 mm or less (not included) will in principle be withdrawn before the end of 2021.

Thermal power: Single-unit 50,000-kilowatt and below pure coal-fired power generating units that do not have the conditions for heating transformation, single-unit 100,000-kilowatt and below pure-coalescent coal-fired power generation units within the coverage of large power grids, and single-unit designs of 200,000 kilowatts and below within the coverage of large power grids and the pure coal-fired power generating units at the end of their lifespan will be withdrawn before the end of 2023 in principle.

Virtual currency mining: Completely clean up and shut down virtual currency mining projects, and all exit before the end of April 2021.

10. Accelerate the pace of energy-saving technological transformation in key energy-intensive industries. From 2021 to 2023, focus on implementing energy-saving technological transformations for key energy-consuming enterprises in high energy-consuming industries such as iron and steel, aluminium, ferroalloy, calcium carbide, copper, lead, zinc, chemicals, and long steel. Each league city shall complete all transformation tasks at least according to the progress of 40%, 40% and 20% every year, speed up the flexible energy-saving transformation of thermal power units, and strive to achieve the advanced value of the national energy consumption limit standard after transformation.

Guide the rational flow of energy consumption elements

11. Implement a green electricity price policy. Implement the "Notice on Adjusting Electricity Price Policies and Electricity Market Transaction Policies for Some Industries" by the Development and Reform Commission of the Autonomous Region and the Department of Industrial Information Technology (Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Development and Reform Commission [[2021]] No. 115).

12. Implement an energy-saving trading system. Formulate and implement the Interim Measures for Energy Conservation Trading in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to implement energy conservation trading throughout the region and give play to the effective role of the market in the allocation of energy resources.

Increase the proportion of renewable energy consumption

13. Increase the proportion of renewable energy consumption. Continue to promote the construction of wind power and solar power generation bases, promote the rapid development of centralised wind power and solar power, develop distributed solar power and decentralised wind power according to local conditions, and strive to exceed 100 million kilowatts of renewable energy installed capacity by 2025, and strive for the weight of renewable energy power consumption responsibility to achieve the incentive goal issued by the state.

14. Adhere to and improve the wind power and solar power consumption mechanism. Improve the dispatching and operation mechanism, promote self-provided thermal power units and heating units to participate in peak shaving, implement a green certificate system for the purchase of thermal power units operating in isolated grids, and promote the formation of a supporting price system that reflects the positive environmental benefits of wind and solar power generation.

Strengthen capacity building

15. Strengthen monitoring, early warning and emergency control. Implement energy consumption dual-control monitoring and early warning and consultation scheduling mechanisms, and implement monthly monitoring and quarterly early warning. Implement the autonomous region's energy dual-control emergency plan, promptly give early warnings to areas where the dual-control energy consumption targets are lagging behind, and initiate an emergency response mechanism. Strengthen the construction and application of online monitoring system for energy consumption of key energy-consuming units.

16. Improve the management system and mechanism of dual control of energy consumption. Unify the competent authority for energy conservation review. Strengthen the energy-saving supervision team and capacity building, and establish a unified whole-society energy-saving supervision agency for the whole district. Strengthen the supervision and inspection of the implementation of energy-saving laws and standards, and strictly investigate and deal with violations of regulations and laws. Governments at all levels should establish and improve the financial input guarantee mechanism for the dual control of energy consumption.