In March 2026, the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research / Beijing Lab for System Engineering of Carbon Neutrality at Beijing Institute of Technology published the paper Assessment of China’s Energy‑Saving and Efficiency‑Improvement Achievements during the 14th Five‑Year Plan Period and Outlook for the 15th Five‑Year Plan online in Chinese Journal of Environmental Management.

This paper systematically reviews energy‑saving progress across regions and key sectors in China during the 14th Five‑Year Plan period and summarizes major achievements. Taking domestic and international circumstances as well as national medium‑ and long‑term strategic plans into account, it analyzes China’s energy‑saving landscape for the 15th Five‑Year Plan and the longer run from perspectives including the long‑term strategic positioning, coverage scope and implementation pathways of energy conservation.

Key priorities for China’s energy conservation in the 15th Five‑Year Plan are put forward: fully advancing the transition from dual control of energy consumption to dual control of carbon emissions, accelerating energy‑saving and efficiency‑improvement efforts in key sectors, promoting energy conservation, efficiency gains and system optimization across the whole energy industrial chain, and boosting the energy efficiency of new‑type infrastructure such as data centers and computing‑power networks.

Four sets of measures are recommended for coordinated energy‑saving governance: improving economic incentive policies and administrative systems, further advancing demand‑side reform, establishing statistical monitoring and early‑warning mechanisms, and strengthening foundational capacity building. These measures are intended to secure the delivery of energy‑saving targets and underpin the building of a powerful energy nation.

This research was supported by the Basic Science Center Program (now Excellent Research Group Program) and Major Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, as well as the Beijing Lab for System Engineering of Carbon Neutrality. The Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research / Beijing Lab for System Engineering of Carbon Neutrality has long been committed to systematic research on energy‑saving, emission reduction and engineering management. With more than 30 years of continuous studies covering energy efficiency, energy‑saving technology dissemination and policy evaluation, it has produced influential outputs including China Energy Report (2010): Energy Efficiency Research, providing support for building China into a powerful energy nation.

Citation: Wei Yiming, Li Hui, Liao Hua. Assessment of China’s Energy‑Saving and Efficiency‑Improvement Achievements during the 14th Five‑Year Plan Period and Outlook for the 15th Five‑Year Plan[J]. Chinese Journal of Environmental Management, 2026, 18(01): 15‑23.

Graphical abstract