On August 24, the general office of the government of China’s Jilin Province released its notice on the province-wide energy development strategy under the 14th Five-Year Plan. According to the notice, the government of Jilin will proactively promote the adoption of PV generation. Specifically, the major PV base in the city of Baicheng will be expanded. Furthermore, the base will be connected to a UHV transmission network so that it can supply electricity to the south. Besides Baicheng, cities in the northwestern part of the province, such as Songyuan and Siping, will be targets for the development of large-scale PV projects. As for the central and eastern parts of the province, their geographical features will allow them to accommodate other kinds of PV projects such as distributed PV projects, agrovoltaic projects, and aquavoltaic projects. In these regions, the government will promote the various models for integrated utilization of PV generation.
At the same time, the government will support the revitalization of rural communities through the adoption of new energy technologies. Individual villages and towns are encouraged to participate in the development of PV and other new energy projects that could provide significant local economic benefits. Jilin aims to install 8GW of PV generation capacity by 2025.
Regarding the development of wind power, the notice states that the western part of the province has not only an abundant supply of wind resource and land but also the proper conditions for the grid-connection of wind farms. Again, cities such as Baicheng, Songyuan, and Siping will be the focus of the government’s development efforts. Jilin is currently laying down a DC transmission line that will allow a 3GW wind power base to supply electricity to other provinces such as Shandong. The acceleration of the construction of a UHV transmission network will benefit local wind farms in terms of selling power to customers in the south. The government will also support the development of distributed wind projects in cities located in the central and eastern parts of the province (e.g., Changchun, Jilin, and Yanbian). These regions are suitable for projects that allow for flexible deployment and local grid connection. Jilin plans to install at least 22GW of wind generation capacity by 2025.
Additionally, the province-wide energy development strategy calls for the setup of pumped hydroelectric energy storage systems that will ensure the stability of the province’s energy supply. The government of Jilin is expected to develop a preliminary plan for the setup of pumped hydroelectric energy storage systems. The continuing deployment of renewable generation systems will lead to gaps in supply and demand as well as excess electricity being fed into the grid. The adoption of utility-scale energy storage solutions will help resolve these issues so that the development of clean and renewable energy can be sustained. Areas that are marked for the acceleration of the setup of pumped hydroelectricity energy storage systems include Dunhua (i.e., Daguo River and Tara River) and Jiaohe. The permitting process for the development of pumped-storage hydroelectricity is also expected to be fast-tracked for localities such as Tonghua, Helong, Wangqing, Jingyu, and Antu. The provincial government intends to expand the installed capacity of pumped-storage hydroelectricity to more than 10GW by 2025.
The energy development strategy also supports other types of renewable energy solutions. For example, local biomass projects are to be developed at a steady and measured pace so as to align with the supply situation for biomass materials. Moreover, local government agencies are expected to promote the collection, storage, and transportation of biomass materials from farms and forests. Places that will host new biomass projects include Taonan and Huinan. Additionally, the provincial government will also push for the building of waste-to-energy plants that burn household garbage. Five of such plants are expected to be constructed with the period of the 14th Five-Year Plan. The provincial government plans to raise the installed capacity for biomass generation to 1.6GW by 2025.