Hainan: Releases Hainan Low-carbon Island Construction Plan

On July 10, the People's Government of Hainan Province issued the Notice on Printing and Distributing the Hainan Low-Carbon Island Construction Plan.

The document states that by 2030, the province will achieve carbon peak, with socioeconomic development rapidly advancing toward low-carbon direction. By 2045, a comprehensive low-carbon island will be fully established, with annual CO2 emissions decreasing by 70% compared to peak levels, and a new-type energy system featuring zero-carbon, high-efficiency, smart, resilient, and safe characteristics will be completed. By 2060, the province will achieve carbon neutrality.

Leveraging technological empowerment, the plan aims to build a highland for low-carbon industrial innovation. It promotes innovation through application by establishing multi-level low-carbon technology innovation and application platforms. The plan focuses on breakthroughs and promotion of core low-carbon technologies, advancing research on low-carbon energy integration technologies such as high-efficiency solar cells, electrochemical ESS, and green hydrogen-to-methanol production. It accelerates innovation in CCUS technologies including new-type carbon capture materials, CO2-enhanced oil recovery, and subsea storage, forging new competitive advantages in green low-carbon industries. Targeting green low-carbon sectors, biomanufacturing, new materials, and future energy fields, the plan promotes demonstration projects for advanced green low-carbon technologies, facilitating deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation.

Pursuing new quality, the plan drives the development of emerging low-carbon industries. It accelerates the integrated development of smart manufacturing and green low-carbon transformation, cultivating and expanding Hainan's distinctive new quality productive forces. Focusing on strategic emerging industries such as aerospace, high-end equipment manufacturing, new energy, and new materials, the plan aims to build a high-end equipment manufacturing industry chain for "wind and solar power-hydrogen-ESS" and develop distinctive product chains for green hydrogen-ammonia-methanol.

Full text follows:

Notice of the People's Government of Hainan Province on Printing and Distributing the Hainan Low-Carbon Island Construction Plan

Qiongfu [2025] No. 37

To: People's governments of cities, counties, and autonomous counties, and departments directly under the provincial government:

The Hainan Low-Carbon Island Construction Plan has been approved by the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government, and is hereby issued to you. Please implement it conscientiously in light of actual conditions.

People's Government of Hainan Province

July 3, 2025

(This document has been abridged)

Hainan Low-Carbon Island Construction Plan

To implement the Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and State Council on Accelerating Comprehensive Green Transformation of Economic and Social Development (Zhongfa [2024] No. 13) and the work deployment of the Sixth Plenary Session of the Eighth Hainan Provincial Party Committee on comprehensively planning the construction of a low-carbon island, and to accelerate green, low-carbon, and high-quality development of the Hainan Free Trade Port, this plan is formulated.

I. General Requirements

Guided by Xi Jinping's Ecological Civilization Thought, the plan implements the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress and the Second and Third Plenary Sessions of the 20th CPC Central Committee, as well as General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speeches and instructions on Hainan's work. It carries out the major strategic deployments of the CPC Central Committee and State Council regarding the "dual carbon" goals, centering on Hainan Free Trade Port's strategic positioning as "three zones and one center." Adhering to the principle of "pursuing strength through green development," the plan aims to build Hainan into a window showcasing China's advanced concepts, technologies, and practical achievements in low-carbon development to the world.

By 2030, the province will achieve carbon peak, and its economic and social development will rapidly progress towards a low-carbon direction. By 2045, it will fully establish a low-carbon island, with annual carbon dioxide emissions reduced by 70% compared to the peak period, and a new-type energy system characterized by zero carbon, high efficiency, intelligence, resilience, and safety will be built. By 2060, the province will achieve carbon neutrality.

II. Key Tasks

Build a new-type zero-carbon energy system, lay a solid foundation for low-carbon development, and establish six systems: industrial carbon reduction, urban and rural carbon reduction, transportation decarbonization, ecological carbon sequestration, intelligent carbon management, and long-term carbon governance. Adopt a carbon reduction path of "building a foundation - promoting energy conservation - producing green energy - storing green energy - self-circulation - carbon absorption - intelligent management."

(1) Energy Low-Carbonization: Create a New Foundation for Low-Carbon Development.

1. Develop zero-carbon resources and build a new-type zero-carbon energy supply system. Construct a zero-carbon power system, ensuring the completion and operation of the second phase of the Changjiang Nuclear Power Plant, accelerating the construction of Units 5 and 6 of the Changjiang Nuclear Power Plant, and initiating the construction of the Yangpu Green Energy Project. Implement distributed PV construction in buildings and reasonably plan centralized PV power stations. Actively develop offshore wind power. Promote the transformation of gas-fired power for peak shaving and facilitate the timely retirement and emergency backup of coal-fired units. Build an industrial zero-carbon heating system, promoting nuclear power waste heat for heating, exploring high-temperature gas-cooled reactor heating technology, and applying zero-carbon heating methods such as waste incineration and industrial air-source heat pumps.

By 2030, the zero-carbon energy supply system will begin to take shape. By 2045, the zero-carbon energy supply system will be fully established.

2. Promote electricity substitution and build a highly flexible electricity consumption system. Expand electricity substitution in industrial, construction, transportation, and agricultural end-use sectors to enhance the flexibility of power loads. Improve the capacity for green electricity consumption, develop green electricity direct supply models such as green electricity direct connection and new energy local access to incremental distribution networks according to local conditions, achieve traceability and accountability of green electricity, and enhance the low-carbon competitiveness of export products. Promote the integrated construction of "generation-grid-load-storage" in the power sector to facilitate self-balance of electricity in local areas.

By 2030, significant achievements will be made in electricity substitution in end-use sectors, with the demand-side response capacity of electricity reaching 5% of the annual maximum power load. By 2045, except for industry and inter-provincial transportation, the end-use sectors will achieve 100% electrification, and the demand-side response capacity of electricity will reach 15% of the annual maximum power load.

3. Strengthen coordinated dispatching and build a safe and resilient energy security system. Enhance the coordinated and optimized operation capacity of power supplies, improve the safety of new energy power supply, orderly develop new-type energy storage technologies, strengthen emergency backup capacity construction, and establish an energy safety supervision system. We will promote the upgrading of power grids, optimize the grid structure, and form a flexible backbone grid for development. We will rationally allocate the capacity of distribution points and enhance the carrying capacity and flexibility of distribution grids. We will develop intelligent microgrids to achieve compatibility and complementarity with the main grid, promote the intelligent upgrading of power grids, and accelerate the integrated construction of "cloud computing, big data, IoT, mobile communication, AI, blockchain, and edge computing".

By 2030, we will initially form a new type of power regulation network adapted to the large-scale absorption of new energy. By 2045, we will fully establish a flexible, intelligent, and secure energy supply system.

(II) Decarbonizing industries and shaping a new low-carbon economic chain.

4. Empowering through science and technology to create a high ground for low-carbon industrial innovation. We will drive innovation through application and establish multi-level platforms for low-carbon technological innovation and application. We will carry out research and development, as well as promotion, of core low-carbon technologies, and advance research on low-carbon energy absorption technologies such as efficient solar cells, electrochemical energy storage systems (ESS), and green hydrogen-to-methanol conversion. We will accelerate the innovation of CCUS technologies such as new carbon capture materials, CO₂-enhanced oil recovery, and subsea storage, and forge new competitive advantages in green and low-carbon industries. Focusing on green and low-carbon, bio-manufacturing, new materials, future energy, and other fields, we will promote the construction of a number of demonstration projects for advanced green and low-carbon technologies, and promote the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation with industrial innovation.

By 2030, a system of platforms for low-carbon technological innovation and application will be basically established. By 2045, key low-carbon technologies in areas such as advanced demonstration of non-fossil energy, clean and efficient utilization of fossil energy, advanced power grid construction, and CCUS will be fully promoted.

5. Pursuing quality through innovation to promote the development of emerging low-carbon industries. We will accelerate the integrated development of intelligent manufacturing with green and low-carbon practices, and cultivate and expand new quality productive forces with Hainan characteristics. Focusing on strategic emerging industries such as aerospace, high-end equipment manufacturing, new energy, and new materials, we will build a high-end equipment manufacturing industry chain for "wind and solar power, hydrogen, and energy storage", and develop a characteristic product chain for green hydrogen, ammonia, and methanol. We will cultivate the "rocket chain, satellite chain, data chain", and the "aerospace+" industrial system. We will seize the commanding heights of the digital economy and strengthen the integrated innovation of AI with "land, sea, and air" technologies. We will establish an "ecotourism+" system based on national parks and promote the realization of the value of ecological products in Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park. We will promote the extension of producer services such as modern logistics, medical and health, and modern finance towards low-carbonization, specialization, and high-end value chains.

6. Enhancing carbon efficiency and accelerating the low-carbon transformation of traditional industries. We will promote the application of advanced energy-saving and carbon-reducing equipment in traditional industries such as petrochemicals, building materials, papermaking, and mining, and carry out demonstration projects for electrification transformation, coupling with new energy, and flexible electricity utilization for high-energy-consuming industrial loads. We will accelerate the low-carbon transformation of industrial parks and carry out the construction of zero-carbon parks. We will carry out green and intelligent integration and upgrading projects for the petrochemical and chemical industries using "5G + industrial internet", and implement "intelligent transformation, digital transformation, and network connection" projects. We will promote green exploration and the construction of green and smart mines.

By 2030, 60% of the province's industrial enterprises above designated size will have completed the coordinated digital and green transformation. By 2045, the annual carbon dioxide emissions per unit of industrial added value will have decreased by 65% compared to the peak period.

7. Promote circular carbon reduction and unblock the resource recycling chain. We will drive the large-scale circulation of resources across the industrial chain, promote cutting-edge technologies for low-carbon cement production and biomass chemical engineering, drive the large-scale and clustered development of the fully biodegradable industry, and build a national-level fully biodegradable industry base. We will carry out innovative demonstrations for the recycling and circular utilization of new types of waste, such as retired power batteries, PV modules, and wind turbine blades, promote efficient biological treatment technologies for agricultural and forestry organic waste, and create a new-type ecological circular industry chain. We will increase the promotion and application of bio-based materials and products in industries such as packaging, textiles, and construction. We will promote the enterprise-level micro-circulation, promote centralized heating in industrial parks, and realize the resourceful utilization of industrial residual pressure, residual heat, waste water, waste gas, and waste liquid.

By 2030, the comprehensive utilization rate of industrial solid waste in the province will exceed 87%, and the recycling rate of major types of renewable resources will exceed 88%.

(III) Carbon reduction in urban and rural areas to create a new green living environment.

8. Build cool cities and promote the low-carbon and livable transformation of urban spaces. We will optimize the urban ecological cold source and ventilation corridor systems. We will plan and construct cool residential communities, cool commercial districts, cool open green spaces, and cool green transportation. We will integrate various environmental cooling technologies to achieve the application and promotion of classified systems.

By 2030, a batch of demonstration projects for cool cities will be completed. By 2045, the province will promote the planning, construction, and management models of cool cities.

9. Create low-carbon villages and promote clean energy use in rural areas. In conjunction with rural construction initiatives, we will promote a new type of rural household energy system characterized by "self-generation and self-use, mutual assistance with surplus electricity, and agricultural machinery energy storage". We will implement classified collection of organic waste such as crop straws, livestock and poultry manure, and agricultural films, and explore small-scale and decentralized village-level organic waste resourceful treatment and application models.

By 2030, a batch of pilot village-level new energy systems will be established in the province, along with village-level organic waste resourceful treatment facilities. By 2045, the new rural energy system will achieve full coverage.

10. Promote zero-carbon buildings and create a new model for tropical building development. We will enhance the low-carbon design and construction standards for new buildings, carry out energy-saving and carbon-reduction retrofitting of existing buildings, and promote the construction of a self-supply system for clean energy in buildings. We will promote flexible electricity use and achieve full electrification of building energy consumption. We will apply technologies such as centralized cooling for building complexes, air-source heat pumps, and fresh air heat recovery according to local conditions to reduce the operating costs and carbon emissions of building cooling and heating.

By 2030, the energy conservation rate of newly-built public buildings in the province will reach 78%, and that of newly-built residential buildings will reach 75%. Comprehensive electrification of facilities and equipment will be promoted on a pilot basis in the green and low-carbon transformation of existing buildings. By 2045, facilities and equipment in newly-built and existing building green and low-carbon transformation projects will be fully electrified.

11. Develop new-type municipal services to support the circular and low-carbon transformation of cities. Establish a low-carbon sewage collection and treatment system, promote the integrated operation of "source, network, plant, and river", improve the recycling rate of domestic sewage, and encourage the resourceful recycling of sludge. Build a comprehensive system for the classified disposal, collection, transportation, and treatment of domestic waste and construction waste, and upgrade and renovate domestic waste incineration facilities.

By 2030, the collection rate of domestic sewage in urban areas of the province will reach 75%, the recycling rate of domestic waste will reach 40%, and the resourceful recycling rate of domestic waste will reach 65%. By 2045, the collection rate of domestic sewage in urban areas will be further improved, and the recycling rate of domestic waste will reach 50%.

(IV) Decarbonize transportation and build a new transportation system.

12. Promote the "dual transformation" to advance the clean transformation of transportation energy and the low-carbon transformation of equipment. Promote the clean energy use in automobiles, upgrade railway equipment, and convert ships from oil to natural gas, promote the development of alternative energy sources for shipping, promote the use of new energy in non-road mobile machinery and equipment, implement shore power transformation actions at airports such as Haikou and Sanya, separately account for and manage Hainan's international aviation and maritime fuels, and steadily increase the application ratio of sustainable aviation and maritime fuels.

By 2030, the proportion of newly-added clean energy vehicles (except for special purposes) in the province's public services and social operations will reach 100%, and the proportion of newly-added and replaced NEVs in the private vehicle sector will reach 100%. By 2045, all types of vehicles will be fully electrified, and the proportion of natural gas-powered ships and the blending ratio of sustainable aviation fuels will continue to increase.

13. Improve the large-scale system and build an efficient freight transportation structure and travel system. Expand multimodal transportation modes such as road-rail, road-water, and air-land, implement low-carbon upgrades to the logistics system, and build an efficient collection, distribution, and transportation system for ports, logistics parks, and large industrial and mining enterprises. Promote the construction of railway branch lines at Yangpu Port and Macun Port, and develop intermodal passenger transportation services such as air-rail and sea-rail within and outside the island.

By 2030, the proportion of green transportation travel in cities will reach 75%. By 2045, the proportion of green transportation travel in cities will reach 85%.

14. Build a new network and accelerate the construction of new energy supporting facilities and intelligent transportation systems. Promote the "integration of transportation and energy" and build intelligent charging and battery swapping infrastructure. Promote the construction of vehicle networking, vehicle-grid interaction, and integrated PV+ESS+charging and battery swapping stations, and create low-carbon transportation scenarios such as low-carbon port areas, low-carbon airports, green highways, and green shipping demonstration zones. We will promote the construction of a comprehensive big data center for transportation across the province, achieving interconnection and interoperability between the island-wide charging and battery swapping network platform and charging and battery swapping facilities.

By 2030, the ratio of new energy vehicles to charging piles across the province will be 2.5:1, and comprehensive big data for transportation across the province will be collaboratively shared. By 2045, the ratio of new energy vehicles to charging piles will be 2:1, and the digitalization rate of transportation infrastructure will reach 100%.

(V) Ecological carbon sequestration: exploring new potential for carbon sinks on land and at sea.

15. Aggregating green resources to enhance forest carbon sink capacity. Strengthening land use regulation and baseline constraints, and establishing a terrestrial ecological spatial pattern of "one park, two belts, and multiple points". Building a "green and beautiful free trade port", carrying out actions to expand, protect, and enhance green spaces, and increasing forest carbon storage across the province.

By 2030, the forest stock volume across the province will be approximately 183 million m³. By 2045, the forest stock volume will be approximately 195 million m³.

16. Tapping into blue potential to create a model for increasing marine carbon sinks. Strengthening basic research on carbon sinks in marine ecosystems, promoting technologies for ecological carbon sequestration and restoration in marine environments, systematically restoring blue carbon systems such as mangroves, coral reefs, and seagrass beds, advancing the construction of marine ranches, and enhancing the carbon sink capacity of fisheries.

By 2030, the mangrove area across the province will be approximately 119,000 mu. By 2045, the contribution of marine blue carbon will significantly increase.

17. Strengthening agricultural carbon sequestration to promote low-carbon agricultural development. Promoting technologies such as returning straw to fields and green manure planting to increase soil organic carbon storage and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from paddy fields. Developing a composite system of "agriculture + new energy", promoting the integration of crop farming and livestock breeding, as well as agriculture and forestry, and establishing an ecological agricultural recycling model.

By 2030, the comprehensive utilization rate of straw across the province will reach 90%, and the construction of carbon sink-enhancing farmland will achieve remarkable results. By 2045, a replicable technical system for carbon sequestration in tropical agriculture will be formed.

18. Exploring geological carbon sequestration to enhance carbon storage capacity. Strengthening research on the potential for carbon sequestration in offshore and onshore oil and gas basins, as well as the mineralization and sequestration of carbon dioxide in basalt, and conducting geological carbon sequestration demonstrations under technically feasible conditions to expand carbon storage space.

(VI) Smart carbon management: establishing a new network for carbon-related IoT.

19. Strengthening carbon management to support carbon services. Centering on the integrated management of energy and carbon emissions, establishing three basic databases for carbon-related spaces, carbon emission factors, and carbon footprint factors, constructing a multi-level linked "energy-electricity-carbon" smart management system at the provincial, municipal, park, and key enterprise levels, creating a multi-dimensional architecture of "cloud, management, edge, and terminal" for carbon emission monitoring IoT perception networks, and building a comprehensive carbon management service system centered on regional carbon assessments, industry carbon controls, enterprise carbon management, project carbon evaluations, and product carbon footprints to achieve precise monitoring, management, and data asset application of energy consumption and carbon emissions across the province.

By 2030, a smart management system and an IoT-based carbon emission monitoring network will be initially established. By 2045, a comprehensive carbon management service system with full coverage will be established.

(VII) Long-term carbon governance and exploration of new policy mechanisms for safeguards.

20. Improve new mechanisms to support the construction of a new-type power system. Deepen the market-oriented reform of on-grid tariffs for new energy. Improve the power market trading system, accelerate the construction of the spot electricity market, and promote the participation of zero-carbon electricity in power market trading. Explore and establish new power operation and investment and financing models to support the innovative development of new-type business entities in the power sector. Establish a vehicle-grid interaction policy mechanism. Improve the trading mechanism for green electricity and green electricity certificates, and accelerate market-oriented innovation for green and low-carbon development.

By 2030, a policy system for the high-quality development of a new-type power system will be basically formed. By 2045, a comprehensive institutional mechanism for a new-type power market will be established.

21. Improve carbon standards and promote the standardization of low-carbon island construction. Establish a carbon emission quantification management mechanism, improve the product carbon footprint management system, corporate ESG evaluation standards, and disclosure system to achieve measurable, reportable, and verifiable carbon reduction results.

By 2030, a number of high-quality enterprises will have completed low-carbon product certification and ESG certification. By 2045, a relevant carbon emission standard system will be established and improved.

22. Strengthen carbon cooperation and build an international low-carbon exchange platform. Strengthen cooperation with countries along the "Belt and Road," ASEAN, and other multilateral countries to promote exchanges in green energy, technology, investment and financing, trade, and other fields, and build an international low-carbon exchange and cooperation platform. Establish the Hainan International Blue Carbon Research Center and the Hainan International Carbon Emission Rights Trading Center to high standards, and promote the international mutual recognition of carbon standards.

By 2030, several international conferences on climate change, green development, and technology exchange will be held. By 2045, a green development alliance for the Hainan Free Trade Port will be established, and a stable cooperation mechanism will be formed.

III. Implementation

The Provincial Development and Reform Commission should coordinate the overall work, and relevant provincial departments should strengthen collaboration, enhance industry guidance. People's governments at the city and county levels should effectively implement low-carbon construction in their respective regions. Continuously upgrade the project library for green and low-carbon transformation, and actively seek funding support from central budgets, ultra-long-term special treasury bonds, local government special bonds {{referring specifically to China}}, and other sources to support low-carbon projects. Implement relevant national policies and strengthen fiscal, tax, financial, investment, pricing, and other policy support for the construction of Hainan's low-carbon island in accordance with laws and regulations.

Source: Hainan Provincial People's Government