Chongqing- Sichuan, and Chongqing will complete the regional transition to green energy and low-carbon, regional transportation green and low-carbon initiatives, according to the Joint Plan for Carbon Neutrality in the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle publicly released on February 23.

In 2025, a new green, low-carbon, and circular development model would have taken shape in the Chengdu-Chongqing region.

With a slower growth rate of carbon dioxide emissions, a further increase in the proportion of non-fossil energy consumption, and a sustained reduction in energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross regional domestic product.

National key clean energy base

In terms of collaborative development of oil and gas resources, Sichuan and Chongqing will promote the construction of a national key clean energy base and create a demonstration zone for high-quality clean energy development.

Meanwhile, Sichuan and Chongqing will collaborate to build a national natural gas or shale gas base which reaches a production capacity of 100 billion cubic meters and accelerate the construction of national shale gas demonstration zones in Changning-Weiyuan and Fuling.

Accelerating the integration of electrical grids between Sichuan and Chongqing, the two regions will promote the establishment of a collaborative electricity market mechanism to enhance the regulation capacity of hydropower and other clean energy.

Specifically, Sichuan and Chongqing will support the UHV AC power grid between Sichuan and Chongqing and encourage the energy enterprises of both places to invest in the development and construction of clean energy projects.

The UHV power grid has significant comprehensive benefits and long-term strategic significance for promoting energy transformation and green development, ensuring power supply, stimulating economic growth.

Low-carbon energy consumption

Boosting the green and low-carbon transformation of energy consumption, Chengdu and Chongqing will concentrate on the clean and efficient use of coal to promote the capacity of new energy consumption and the optimal combination of coal and new energy. 

Sichuan and Chongqing will share the responsibilities of deepening the application of big data, cloud computing, intelligence to build a smart energy system, and a coordinately developed, integrated, and complementary energy internet with energy supply security.

As for the industry, Sichuan and Chongqing will foster the synergistic improvement of green and low-carbon industries in rural areas and establish green and low-carbon manufacturing clusters.

Main initiatives include the promotion of the greening and upgrading of traditional industries, with a focus on the development of a number of leading low-carbon enterprises.

Chengdu-Chongqing hydrogen corridor

Based on the development axis of Chengdu-Neijiang-Chongqing, Sichuan and Chongqing will work together to build the Chengdu-Chongqing hydrogen corridor and optimize the industrial chain of hydrogen energy and fuel cell vehicles in the Sichuan-Chongqing region, aiming to create a national demonstration city cluster of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCVs).

FCVs are similar to electric vehicles in that they use an electric motor instead of an internal combustion engine to power the wheels.

At the same time, the energy-saving and environmental protection industry will be upgraded to build an internationally competitive clean energy equipment industry and a number of "made-in-Sichuan-and-Chongqing" world-class brands.

Chengdu-Chongqing electricity corridor

Furthermore, Sichuan and Chongqing will enhance transportation infrastructure's green and low-carbon construction.

A Chengdu-Chongqing electricity corridor will be built to accelerate the construction of battery charging stations in the service areas of the Chengdu-Chongqing Expressway.

Focusing on the metropolitan area of Chongqing and Chengdu, Yibin and other areas, and the expressway between Chengdu and Chongqing, the plan is to speed up the deployment of electric vehicle charging and replacement facilities and accelerate the construction of port shore power facilities.

The common efforts in the financial sector will include exploring carbon-neutral financial products, such as green bonds, green insurance, and other financial instruments, where Chengdu and Chongqing will look into the establishment of unified criteria for green projects.

(Cao Kezhi, as an intern, also contributed to this report.)