June 23 to 29 marks the 35th National Energy Efficiency Promotion Week, with this year’s theme being “Improve Energy Efficiency and Effectiveness, Renewal Leads the Way”. Jiangsu Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology recently released the industrial energy conservation and carbon reduction report for the past year. Preliminary estimates show that the province’s energy consumption per unit of GDP decreased by approximately 3.5% in 2024. The cumulative decrease over the first four years of the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025) is about 13%, and it is expected that the national target of a 14% cumulative reduction for the 14th Five-Year Plan period will be successfully met.

The industrial sector is the main target for energy conservation and carbon reduction. Preliminary estimates indicate that the energy consumption per unit of added value for industries above designated size in the province cumulatively decreased by about 13% from 2021 to 2024. Particularly in the first quarter of this year, it fell by approximately 9%, a decline about two percentage points greater than that of the provincial GDP energy intensity, demonstrating the core contribution of the industrial sector in energy efficiency and effectiveness improvement.

A relevant official from the Energy Conservation and Comprehensive Utilization Division of Jiangsu Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology explained that the Jiangsu Provincial 14th Five-Year Plan for Green Industrial Development clearly outlines a development approach centered on building a green manufacturing system, sets targets for reducing energy consumption per unit of added value for industries above designated size, and deploys specialized actions. Jiangsu Province has established energy conservation files for key enterprises and conducted energy-saving investigation for public welfare. Since 2019, the system has served over 1,300 enterprises, helping them identify energy-saving potential and reduce costs while increasing efficiency. A tiered cultivation mechanism and database have been established. To date, the province has cumulatively created 439 national-level green factories, 51 green industrial parks, and 80 green supply chain management enterprises, with all categories ranking among the top nationwide. Simultaneously, green finance has been promoted collaboratively. The specialized financial product “Green Factory Loan” was launched, granting credit to 601 enterprises totaling RMB 60.8 billion in 2024. Exploration of zero-carbon (near-zero carbon) factory development is underway. Suzhou has cumulatively established four zero-carbon factories and 36 near-zero carbon factories. Wuxi announced its first batch of 13 pilot zero-carbon factories, and Changzhou publicized its first list of seven near-zero carbon factories.