Accelerating the Establishment of a New-Type Energy System Supported by the "Quality-Energy Network"

The Study Times, on October 29, 2025, Page 04, published a signed article by Zhang Wei, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Chairman of the National Oil and Natural Gas Pipeline Network Group Co., Ltd., proposing to focus on the new-type energy "mass-energy network" to build new-type energy infrastructure, providing energy support for accelerating the construction of a new-type energy system and advancing Chinese modernization.

The article pointed out that China's new-type energy system construction has achieved remarkable results. By the end of 2024, the proportion of non-fossil energy consumption reached 19.8%, and the cumulative installed grid-connected capacity of wind and solar power reached 1.41 billion kW, accounting for 42% of the total installed power generation capacity. However, as the share of wind and solar power generation increases, the pressure of integration has become prominent. It is necessary to break the development boundaries of energy infrastructure, plan and construct a "mass-energy network," and achieve cross-form conversion, cross-temporal regulation, and cross-regional transmission and distribution of matter and energy.

The new-type energy "mass-energy network" is a new-type energy infrastructure network system that focuses on the synergistic conversion of material carriers and energy forms, integrating renewable energy development, diversified ESS, intelligent dispatch, and cross-regional transmission. It consists of three major subsystems: conversion, storage and transport, and dispatch. The conversion subsystem is responsible for four types of conversion: energy-to-mass, mass-to-mass, mass-to-energy, and energy-to-energy. The storage and transport subsystem undertakes the transmission of energy and matter. The dispatch subsystem acts as the "brain" to achieve optimal allocation. It features five major characteristics: systematic mass-energy conversion, full-chain integration and synergy, intelligent operation control, open network structure, and green ecological operation.

The article suggests that building the "mass-energy network" requires establishing a four-dimensional synergistic system: promoting the integrated planning and layout of new-type energy infrastructure, and connecting data across all links to achieve synergistic regulation; constructing theoretical and technical systems, and increasing efforts to tackle core technologies; creating supporting commercial operation models to enable full-chain services; and accelerating the improvement of market rules, regulatory policies, and standard and regulatory systems. Looking ahead, the "mass-energy network" is expected to release huge potential, support the high-quality development of the new-type energy system, and contribute to achieving the "dual carbon" goals and energy security.