China’s newly revised national standard on energy consumption for coal-fired power generating units officially came into effect on April 1.
Source: CCTV News
China’s newly revised national standard on energy consumption for coal-fired power generating units officially came into effect on April 1. The updated regulation, titled Energy Consumption Limit per Unit Product of Coal-Fired Power Generating Units (GB 21258—2024), is a mandatory standard and marks the third revision since its introduction in 2007, with previous updates in 2013 and 2017.
For the first time, the standard extends its scope beyond conventional coal-fired and combined heat and power (CHP) units to include circulating fluidized bed (CFB) units—bringing nearly all coal power technologies under unified regulation. The updated version imposes significantly stricter energy efficiency thresholds. For existing subcritical and ultra-supercritical units, the average coal consumption limit has been tightened to around 302 grams of standard coal per kilowatt-hour (g/kWh). This move is expected to accelerate ongoing upgrades in energy efficiency, operational flexibility, and heating capabilities across the sector.
For new plants, the bar is even higher. The threshold for 600 MW and 1,000 MW ultra-supercritical units has been reduced by 1 g/kWh and 3 g/kWh, respectively. Other unit types face a 10 g/kWh cut. These adjustments are designed to push the industry toward adopting more advanced, higher-capacity, and more efficient technologies in future projects.
By 2030, the average coal consumption across China’s coal power sector is expected to drop below 302 g/kWh. That reduction could translate into energy savings of approximately 60 million tonnes of standard coal and cut carbon dioxide emissions by roughly 160 million tonnes. The enhanced standard is seen as a major step toward China’s broader goals of peaking carbon emissions in the power sector—and nationwide.
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