At 10:00 a.m. on June 26, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) held its June press conference. Li Chao, Deputy Director of the Policy Research Office of the NDRC, answered reporters' questions regarding "What is the current situation of energy supply guarantee? What preparations has the NDRC made to cope with the peak period of electricity load?" and "What specific measures have relevant departments taken to promote the consumption of new energy? What phased results have been achieved so far?". Li Chao: Friends from the media, good morning. Welcome to the June press conference of the National Development and Reform Commission. I am Li Chao, Deputy Director of the Policy Research Office of the NDRC. First, I will brief you on two aspects, and then answer your questions of concern. First, the 16th Summer Davos Forum was held in Tianjin from June 24 to 26. The theme of this forum is "Entrepreneurship in the New Era". Centering on five major directions including "Interpreting the Global Economy", "China Outlook", "Industries in Upheaval", "Investing in People and the Planet", and "New Energy and Materials", the forum held nearly 200 sub-forum activities. More than 1,700 guests and representatives from over 90 countries and regions attended the forum, which is also the largest number of participants in recent years. China is firmly committed to advancing high-level opening-up, continuously opening its doors for cooperation, and warmly welcomes people from the global business community to invest and start businesses in China, deepen investment cooperation with China, and share new opportunities brought by China's development. As the leading coordinating unit of the Chinese side for the World Economic Forum, the NDRC, together with relevant departments, coordinated and guided the preparation work for the Summer Davos Forum. Second, the 2025 National Energy Conservation Publicity Week is held from June 23 to 29. The theme of the 35th National Energy Conservation Publicity Week is "Energy Conservation and Efficiency Improvement, Led by 'New' Vitality". During this period, we, together with relevant parties, organized a series of special publicity activities around key time nodes such as the 5th anniversary of the major announcement on carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, and the 20th anniversary of the implementation of the energy efficiency labeling system. These activities cover energy efficiency improvement in the industrial sector, energy conservation and carbon reduction in the construction sector, green and low-carbon transformation in transportation, the construction of resource-saving government agencies, energy conservation and emission reduction in agriculture and rural areas, the promotion of product carbon footprint experience, energy efficiency standards and labels, and popularization of green and low-carbon knowledge. Relevant parties have also carried out a series of publicity activities with local and industry characteristics. We welcome journalists to pay active attention to and report on these two major events. That's all for my briefing. Now let's move on to the question-and-answer session. Please state the media you represent before asking questions. Please proceed. Reporter from China Macro Network: Recently, high-temperature weather has occurred frequently in North China and other regions, with temperatures exceeding 40°C in some areas. What is the current situation of energy supply guarantee? What preparations has the NDRC made to cope with the peak period of electricity load? Li Chao: Thank you for your question. As you mentioned, high-temperature weather has occurred frequently in some areas recently. Some netizens commented that "it's almost too hot to handle", and air conditioners in every household are running continuously. Generally speaking, summer is the peak period of electricity load throughout the year, and the key to energy supply guarantee lies in "electricity". It is preliminarily estimated that the national maximum electricity load during this year's peak summer period will increase by about 100 million kilowatts compared with the same period last year. In response to this situation, the NDRC, together with relevant parties, has focused on improving the capacity of electricity supply guarantee and taken a series of measures to advance the construction of the energy production, supply, storage, and marketing system in advance. For example, we have continuously improved power generation capacity. By the end of May this year, the national cumulative installed power generation capacity had reached 3.61 billion kilowatts, an increase of 18.8% year-on-year. Another example is that, based on past experience, during the critical moment of peak summer, it is not only necessary to generate more electricity but also to ensure more efficient transmission of electricity. We, together with relevant parties, have strengthened the construction of cross-provincial and inter-regional power transmission channels and inter-provincial mutual assistance projects. This year, UHV DC transmission channels such as Gansu to Shandong and Xinjiang to Chongqing have been completed and put into operation. Electricity from northwest China can support the electricity demand of densely populated areas and industrial zones through these energy "arteries". In addition, we have organized local governments and energy supply guarantee enterprises to study and formulate energy supply guarantee plans for each province one by one. The coal stock of national unified dispatching power plants has remained at a relatively high level, which also provides strong support for electricity supply guarantee during the peak summer period. From the current situation, all parties have actively and effectively responded to the electricity load during high-temperature weather. The electricity supply and demand situation during this year's peak summer period is better than last year, and the overall balance of national electricity supply and demand is guaranteed. At the same time, we are fully aware that the electricity supply and demand in some areas may be tight during peak hours, and the impact of extreme and continuous high-temperature weather as well as natural disasters such as typhoons, rainstorms, and floods cannot be ignored. We need to make preparations in advance to ensure that "everything is under control". The NDRC will give full play to the role of the inter-ministerial coordination mechanism for coal, electricity, oil, gas, and transportation guarantee work, and intensify efforts to fully implement various supply guarantee measures. First, implement responsibilities. Adhere to the daily monitoring, daily dispatching, and daily reporting mechanism, promptly identify and quickly resolve contradictions and problems in supply guarantee, and urge local governments and energy supply guarantee enterprises to fulfill their territorial responsibilities and main responsibilities. For provinces with high risks in electricity supply guarantee, we will formulate detailed gap solutions based on the "one province, one policy" principle. Second, ensure supply. In terms of fuel, strengthen the stable production and supply of coal and natural gas, and coordinate production, transportation, and demand to ensure the demand for coal and gas for power generation. At present, the coal stock of national unified dispatching power plants is sufficient. In terms of power units, while ensuring safety, we will strive to ensure that power generation and power grid projects are put into operation on schedule and contribute electricity as soon as possible. At the same time, we will strengthen the management of unit output and make full use of various resources to generate electricity during peak energy consumption. Third, strengthen dispatching. Give full play to the advantages of resource allocation of China's large power grid to improve the national supply guarantee capacity. At the same time, urge the performance of medium and long-term contracts for thermal coal, electricity, and natural gas. The more volatile the market is, the more tightly the supply and demand sides should "hold hands". Meanwhile, adhere to the bottom-line thinking, make preparations in advance to deal with the impact of natural disasters on electricity supply guarantee, pre-position emergency rescue forces, equipment, and materials, and strive to carry out emergency disposal and power restoration with the fastest speed and highest efficiency to ensure the electricity demand of people's livelihood and key fields. Reporter from Economic Information Daily: In recent years, China's new energy industries such as wind power and photovoltaic power have developed rapidly, but they still face pressure in terms of consumption. What specific measures have relevant departments taken to promote the consumption of new energy? What phased results have been achieved so far? Li Chao: Thank you for your question. By the end of May this year, China's installed capacity of wind power and photovoltaic power generation had reached 570 million kilowatts and 1.08 billion kilowatts respectively, accounting for 45.7% of the total installed capacity, which has exceeded the proportion of thermal power installed capacity. At the same time, it should be noted that with the increase in the proportion of new energy power generation installed capacity, the high-level consumption of large-scale new energy has become the key to building a new energy system. To improve the capacity of new energy consumption, the NDRC, together with relevant parties, has taken a series of measures, mainly focusing on three coordinations. The first coordination is to coordinate the external transmission and local consumption of electricity. Give full play to the advantages of wind, light, and other resources in desert, gobi, and desert areas, accelerate the construction of large-scale new energy bases in these areas, and improve the national new energy consumption capacity by transmitting wind power and photovoltaic power from northwest China and other regions across provinces. While carrying out long-distance transmission, we also pay attention to tapping the demand for local consumption and actively explore new models integrating new energy and industrial development. For example, recently, the NDRC and the National Energy Administration issued the "Notice on Matters Concerning Promoting the Orderly Development of Direct Green Power Connection", supporting some new energy to directly supply green power to a single electricity user instead of connecting to the public power grid. This not only helps the local consumption of new energy but also provides new development opportunities for high-energy-consuming enterprises, export-oriented enterprises, and new energy power generation enterprises. The second coordination is to coordinate the construction of power grids and regulation capacity. The coordinated development of new energy, power transmission channels, and supporting regulating power sources is essential to ensure the high proportion of new energy consumption. In terms of power transmission channels, China has built the world's largest power grid, with the world's highest transmission voltage level, the longest UHV transmission lines, and the largest new energy grid-connected scale. At present, 43 UHV transmission channels have been put into operation. This year, UHV channels such as Ningxia to Hunan will also be put into operation, and the level of electricity external transmission is constantly improving. In terms of regulation capacity, the national scale of new energy storage has exceeded 80 million kilowatts. As new energy fully enters the market, the profit model and space of new energy storage in the electricity spot market will be broader. The third coordination is to coordinate energy demand and supply. From the demand side, China has abundant flexible load resources on the power demand side. In recent years, we have continuously improved the long-term mechanism for demand response and actively guided various demand-side resources to participate in new energy peak shaving through virtual power plants and other methods. From the supply side, we have actively promoted the construction of charging infrastructure. At present, the number of charging infrastructure nationwide has exceeded 14 million. By guiding orderly charging, we can improve the consumption capacity of new energy. At the same time, we, together with relevant departments, continue to deepen the market-oriented reform of new energy grid-connected electricity prices, promote the efficient allocation of power resources, and guide the healthy and orderly development of the new energy industry. With the joint efforts of all parties, positive progress has been made in China's new energy consumption. According to statistics, the utilization rate of national new energy consumption has remained above 90%. In the next step, the NDRC will, together with relevant parties, take new energy consumption as a key part of the construction of a new energy system, thoroughly implement supporting policies for power generation, transmission, regulation, and other links, and continue to promote the high-quality development of new energy.