The National People’s Congress’s government work report for this year emphasized the importance of promoting carbon peaking and carbon neutrality in a systematic manner, implementing the carbon peaking action plan, promoting the energy revolution, ensuring energy supply, based on resource endowments, adhering to the principle of establishing first and then breaking, and developing overall plans to promote low-carbon energy transition.
In industries such as steel, nonferrous metals, petrochemicals, chemicals, and building materials, the government work report proposes to promote research and development, promotion, and application of green and low-carbon technologies, build green manufacturing, and service systems, and promote energy conservation and carbon reduction. Stop developing projects that consume a lot of energy, emit a lot of pollution, and are low-level. Encourage the transition from “double control” of energy consumption to “double control” of total carbon output and intensity, strengthen incentive and restraint policies for pollution and carbon reduction, and hasten the development of green production and lifestyles.
Various social bodies have conducted comprehensive investigations into the promotion of low-carbon energy transition. Sinopec, as a typical example of energy central businesses, has undertaken extensive reforms and innovations in the areas of “net-zero” emissions and low-carbon competitiveness.
What type of low-carbon environmental protection and new energy development strategy has Sinopec implemented? How can the future development trend of the Chinese hydrogen energy industry be assessed? What intentions does the corporation have for hydrogen energy development?
Daily Economic News conducted an exclusive interview with Ma Yongsheng, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Secretary of the Party Group, and Chairman of Sinopec, recently using this set of questions. The company’s overall aim for growing the hydrogen energy business throughout the “14th Five-Year Design” period, according to him, is to plan and install 1,000 hydrogen refueling stations (oil-hydrogen joint construction stations). And this number has surpassed the 685 hydrogen refueling stations that were placed into service throughout the world in 2021.
What type of planning and investigation has Sinopec done in low-carbon environmental protection and new energy development as part of the “dual carbon” goal?
Ma Yongsheng: As a major state-owned corporation, Sinopec is aggressively pursuing green reform, with the ultimate objective of achieving “net-zero” carbon emissions in order to speed the development of low-carbon competitiveness.
In the field of new energy, the firm considers hydrogen energy to be its primary business, while also adhering to new energy’s diverse growth concepts and aggressively developing other new energy companies such as solar energy, wind energy, geothermal energy, and biomass energy.
Hydrogen energy is a key emphasis of the firm’s transformation and development, and the company aspires to become China’s first hydrogen energy company. It will grab the historic chance of the hydrogen energy industry’s rapid expansion in the future, making it the company’s main business of new energy to accelerate development and fiercely promote hydrogen energy. The structure of the energy industry.
In the field of solar energy, the company has launched the “Thousand-Station Photovoltaic Promotion Plan,” which combines comprehensive gas station renovations, construction of charging piles and power exchange equipment, and other projects according to local lighting resource conditions and local support policies, with the goal of completing the “14th Five-Year Plan” by the end of the year. A total of 1,000 solar power plants will be built by 2021.
In terms of wind energy, the corporation actively investigates the development and usage of offshore wind resources in conjunction with the construction of refining and chemical bases, as well as the exploration of offshore wind energy power generating projects.
At the same time, Sinopec is my country’s largest geothermal enterprise. It will add 50 million square meters of the geothermal heating area during the “14th Five-Year Plan,” continue to construct an “urban heating smoke-free city,” and establish a national-level geothermal development and usage platform.
In terms of biomass energy, the firm achieved “gutter oil to the sky” in 2013, producing bio-jet fuel from waste cooking oil and plants. We hope to build more biodiesel/jet fuel demonstration facilities in the future, as well as develop next-generation cellulosic ethanol and butanol technology.
Sinopec also concentrates on the design of green transportation. The corporation places a high value on and actively supports the development of new energy vehicles in the country, and has conducted research and developed a unique plan to deal with them. It actively engages in new energy in terms of energy supply and services, R&D and manufacturing of associated materials, and so on, while planning the adjustment and transformation of current sectors. Automobile-related enterprise.
The corporation uses the network structure of gas stations to enhance cooperation with power providers and charging operation companies when it comes to charging station installation. There were 1,212 charging stations, 83 exchanging stations, and 1,048 distributed photovoltaic power producing stations established as of February of this year.
With the gradual introduction of the national hydrogen fuel cell car demonstration city group strategy, the application scale of hydrogen energy in the transportation area is quickly expanding. Sinopec has completed the construction of 74 hydrogen refueling stations.
Sinopec has revealed a fresh rendering of the complete energy station. What is the difference between a typical gas station and a gas station? What new experiences would customers be able to have as a result of it?
Sinopec supports green transportation and is progressively constructing a complete energy-enhancing station for “oil, gas, and hydrogen power services,” according to Ma Yongsheng.
Unlike a regular gas station, a complete energy station can not only refill but also charge and replenish a vehicle. 74 hydrogen refueling stations, 1212 charging stations, 83 exchanging stations, and 1048 distributed photovoltaic power producing stations are now operational.
The Guangxi Petroleum Xinyang Comprehensive Energy Refueling Station, for example, is China’s first comprehensive energy refueling station, combining oil and gas hydrogen-electric service, photovoltaic, cultural tourism, convenience shop, vehicle service, and fast food. The market for all-encompassing energy refilling services is maturing.
A fresh photograph of the complete energy station was also revealed recently. Caneng Station’s brand image is a full depiction of the company’s competitive strength, the “brand project” on which it depends to stay afloat, and the “rice bowl project” that draws consumers. Consumers will be given a new experience by creating a world-class, beautiful image and a full-service station network of energy stations.
Sinopec will complete the new image transformation of 5,000 comprehensive energy stations throughout the “14th Five-Year Plan” timeframe. What are the dimensions and volume of a 5,000-seat venue? How many people will it help?
Ma Yongsheng: In line with the new image standards, Sinopec will continue to focus on consumers and will gradually construct a comprehensive energy station for “oil, gas, and hydrogen power services.” We will endeavor to execute 5,000 new image modifications over the “14th Five-Year Plan” term in order to give high-quality services to hundreds of millions of users. Every customer who visits the Ganeng Station may shop in a comfortable and pleasant attitude thanks to the high-quality and high-value “Sinopec Service.”
To encourage the restoration of the new image station in a flexible and orderly manner, our new image station has created three standards: flagship station, standard station, and ordinary station, taking into consideration the various conditions in various areas. Other non-image transformation stations will also be progressively iterated with hidden risks management, volume enhancement, and nighttime illumination improvement, and parts of the new image station will increasingly emerge in our gas stations.
We’ve also done some digital transformation on the site, employing smart payment, smart marketing, clever IoT, smart supervision, and other digital achievements to give consumers a more efficient, convenient, and safe consuming experience. These improvements are now moving along at a steady pace. More and more customers will be able to have a new inside-out experience with a comprehensive variety of services.
During this year’s Winter Olympics, Sinopec’s products, such as thermal fiber “inner core,” ecologically friendly plastic bags, and other items, were also visible on the Winter Olympics site. What plans does Sinopec have for the future in terms of clean product development?
Ma Yongsheng: Sinopec has always adhered to General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important instructions on “state-owned enterprises should become an important force in ensuring and improving people’s livelihood” and “closely combining high-quality development with meeting people’s needs for a better life,” putting people first.
Sinopec will always be devoted to offering more high-quality public products and actively meeting people’s desire for a better living, not just cleaning items.
Sinopec has significantly increased its presence in the hydrogen energy sector in recent years. What is your assessment of the future development pattern of China’s hydrogen energy market?
Ma Yongsheng: Hydrogen energy is one of the clean energy sources with the greatest development potential, which is critical for encouraging energy transformation and the global economy’s long-term sustainability. Green hydrogen is created using renewable energy, and the manufacturing process produces no greenhouse gases, removing carbon emissions from the source and making it truly clean energy.
Sinopec, as a state-owned corporation, has planned ahead to investigate additional green energy alternatives in the future. Sinopec is optimistic about the development of hydrogen energy.
On the one hand, we have extensive knowledge in hydrogen generation and use, as well as crucial materials and basic chemicals used in the hydrogen energy industry chain.
The corporation, on the other hand, owns over 30,000 gas stations and has a network advantage in the hydrogen energy market. Currently, the firm considers hydrogen energy to be a key focus of its transformation and development and has set the objective of becoming China’s first hydrogen energy company.
Many people are concerned about the high expense of hydrogen energy and its lack of safety. What “gaps” do you think need to be addressed in order for hydrogen energy to gain traction on the market?
Ma Yongsheng: Each new energy demands a lengthy period of technological discovery, market cultivation, and other activities, as well as the combined efforts of all firms in the industry and all sectors of society.
In the case of hydrogen energy, the industry usually feels that the bottlenecks impeding its development are mostly centered in two areas: the first is a cost problem caused by variables such as immature technology; the second is an immature business.
Sinopec is dedicated to effectively fulfilling the role of “pillar” and “ballast stone” in the development of the hydrogen energy sector as a central enterprise.
The Sinopec Xinjiang Kuqa Green Hydrogen Demonstration Project, for example, was formally opened on November 30, 2021. This is my country’s first 10,000-ton-scale photovoltaic green hydrogen demonstration plant, and once operational, yearly green hydrogen output might exceed 20,000 tons. The project will pave a new way for green hydrogen refining and chemical industry growth and will serve as a significant demonstration of large-scale usage of green hydrogen by refining and chemical firms to reduce carbon emissions.
What will Sinopec focus on in growing the hydrogen energy industry during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period?
Ma Yongsheng: During the “14th Five-Year Design,” the company’s basic aim for growing the hydrogen energy sector is to plan and build 1,000 hydrogen refueling stations (oil-hydrogen joint construction stations) with hydrogen refueling service capacity of 200,000 tons per year.
The second is to concentrate on hydrogen energy transportation, green hydrogen refining, and the chemical sector, with the goal of producing more than one million tons of green hydrogen using renewable energy.
The third goal is to create the country’s greatest hydrogen energy-transportation production, storage, transit, and filling network.
The firm intends to concentrate on encouraging the transformation and decarbonization of refining and chemical companies in the sphere of green hydrogen refining and the chemical industry, with the goal of achieving the country’s highest green hydrogen usage. The first hydrogen energy firm in China will be founded by the conclusion of the “14th Five-Year Plan,” and yearly carbon dioxide emissions will be reduced by more than 10 million tons.
What type of reforms and explorations has Sinopec carried out in terms of corporate transformation and development as one of the leaders in the domestic conventional energy industry?
Ma Yongsheng: Because of reform, Sinopec was born, thrived, and would continue to prosper.
Standing at the crossroads of the “two centennial objectives,” Sinopec has aggressively embraced change in the face of historical difficulties and possibilities posed by the “dual carbon” aim, seeking to become the world’s leading clean energy chemical corporation.
Sinopec is now using the three-year state-owned enterprise reform to advance the reform in-depth and has developed a roadmap and timeline, as well as deconstructed and refined 80 particular tasks and 498 individual actions. As of the end of last year, the total development had reached 90%, placing it among the top central enterprises, and numerous parties have praised the reform’s accomplishments.
Sinopec’s operating performance will hit a new high in 2021, according to the company’s ongoing reform efforts.
Sinopec will continue to focus on enhancing vitality and efficiency, consolidating hard-won reform successes, supporting continuous improvement of company management, and writing a new chapter of reform and development in the context of the broader national policy.
What are your priorities as a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference this year?
Yongsheng Ma: I’ve developed two CPPCC proposals this year. “Accelerating the Development of the CCUS Industrial Chain to Assist in Achieving the “Double Carbon” Goal” is the first proposal. Carbon dioxide capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) is the process of capturing and separating carbon dioxide from sources such as energy use, industrial processes, and the environment and transferring it to suitable areas for conversion or long-term storage. It is a technique for reducing carbon emissions on a massive scale.
Carbon sequestration by CCUS will account for 0.1 percent of global carbon emissions by 2020. According to relevant authorities, this percentage will rise to over 22.4 percent by 2050, and CCUS technology will play an essential part in future global emission and carbon reduction efforts.
By 2060, my country’s fossil energy usage will still account for 26.8% of total energy consumption, resulting in 2.71 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions. There is still a 1 billion ton shortfall, even with carbon sink offsets. My nation has enormous geological storage potential for carbon dioxide, as well as the engineering capacity to capture, use, and store it on a vast scale. For my nation to attain its objective of carbon neutrality, filling the gap with CCUS will be a crucial technical decision.
The second suggestion is to “intensify the development of the circular economy and expand the use of waste plastics and industrial solid waste as resources.” My country’s total usage of industrial solid waste throughout the “Thirteenth Five-Year Plan” term is estimated to be around 13 billion tons. The total stocks are currently at 62 billion tons, with yearly fresh stockpiles exceeding 3.5 billion tons. There are primarily issues such as high output, low conversion rate, and insufficient recycling assistance programs.
As a result, I propose hastening the formation of a low-carbon, green recycling development system. Support large industrial enterprises and municipal departments to establish waste plastic supply relationships, and express, Users of plastic products such as food delivery, cosmetics, food, home appliances, and automobiles have established industrial supply and demand alliances, formed a complete industrial chain, and standardized the market for.
