Solidifying the pillar of China's economy

This photo shows the excavation of an underground powerhouse at Lianghekou pumped-storage power station in the Yalong River basin in Sichuan province. [Xinhua]

Blueprint proposed for 109 major engineering projects across six crucial domains in 15th Five-Year Plan

The outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) proposes a blueprint of 109 major engineering projects across six crucial domains to advance the Chinese path to modernization.

Following the successful completion of 102 major projects in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), these newly designated projects will serve as the primary instruments to further solidify the "pillar" of the Chinese economy.

Wei Qijia, a researcher at the State Information Center under the National Development and Reform Commission, emphasized the foundational role of energy infrastructure in driving sustained economic development.

"For instance, regarding the resilience of energy, through the construction of these new energy bases and the integrated development bases of hydropower, wind power, and photovoltaic power, we can elevate the overall level of green and low-carbon development," Wei said. "On the other hand, this plays an important driving role in energy conservation, carbon reduction and the realization of the 'dual-carbon' goals."

To achieve this, the outline explicitly clarifies the implementation of seven major engineering projects dedicated to a novel energy system. These include major hydropower and water-wind-solar integrated bases, new energy bases in "desert, Gobi, and wasteland" regions, offshore wind power bases, coastal nuclear power facilities, power transmission channels, power mutual assistance projects and natural gas pipeline networks.

Currently, these projects are under intense construction across the nation. In the Yalong River basin, the Lianghekou pumped-storage power station — the world's largest mixed pumped-storage project — is navigating the critical phase of main powerhouse concrete pouring and electromechanical installation. To ensure safety during the flood season, the schedule mandates the completion of all concrete construction below elevations of 2,595 meters prior to the end of May this year.

Relying on the three "super reservoirs" of Lianghekou, Jinping-I and Ertan, the Yalong River has transformed into a large-scale river basin with the best regulating performance nationwide, boasting a total regulating storage capacity of 14.8 billion cubic meters. Furthermore, the Kela Phase I Photovoltaic Power Station has elevated the scale of hydro-solar complementarity to the million-kilowatt level.

Simultaneously, thousands of miles away in the Tengger Desert, the Gansu Tengger Desert Hexi New Energy Base — specifically the China Huadian Wuwei Jiuduntan 3 million kW photovoltaic project — is vigorously advancing the installation of pile foundations and brackets.

This site houses the nation's pioneering scientific research project integrating key technologies for sand control and ecological restoration tailored for the "desert, Gobi, and wasteland" new energy bases. Once operational, it will play a vital role in guaranteeing the supply of clean energy while improving the regional ecological environment.

Throughout the 15th Five-Year Plan period, as these projects are systematically advanced, the nation's "West-to-East Power Transmission" capacity will exceed 420 million kW. By 2030, the proportion of nonfossil energy within total energy consumption is projected to reach 25 percent.

Tourists visit a photovoltaic desert control demonstration park in Wuwei, Gansu province, on Oct 21, 2023. [Luo Xinghan/For China Daily]

Beyond traditional energy infrastructure, frontier technological projects are also accelerating. In Hefei, Anhui province, China's controllable nuclear fusion project, known as the "artificial sun" project, has broken through critical technological bottlenecks. Scientists are currently conducting the installation and debugging of a massive D-shaped coil, representing the largest, highest-performing, and most complex nuclear fusion superconducting coil designed predominantly by China.

It is projected that by 2027, experimental research on fusion burning can be initiated. By around 2030, the nation will possess the construction capabilities for China's first engineering experimental reactor, which is expected to be built by about 2035.

Looking further ahead, by around 2045, the country's first commercial demonstration reactor is expected to be completed. This development trajectory is linked to the integrated and collaborative development of the Yangtze River Delta region.

Regarding these frontier technological domains, Guo Liyan, deputy director and a researcher of the Economic Research Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission, said: "The major engineering projects of the 15th Five-Year Plan period possess strategic and pioneering characteristics. The future industries we observe today are highly likely to evolve into strategic emerging industries, and eventually become pillar industries."

According to the outline, the 28 major engineering projects designed to lead the development of new quality productive forces place a deliberate emphasis on elevating industrial foundational capabilities and competitiveness. These projects cover a wide range of sectors, from the low-altitude economy, hydrogen energy and lithium batteries to life sciences, quantum mechanics and deep-space exploration.

The 109 major engineering projects encompass both "hard investments" and "soft construction". In addition to the 23 projects dedicated to building a modern infrastructure system and the 28 projects leading the development of new quality productive forces, the list includes nine projects promoting urban-rural integration, 25 projects guaranteeing and improving people's livelihoods, 18 projects driving the green and low-carbon transition, and six projects dedicated to ensuring security in key areas.

Yin Yanzhen, a deputy to the National People's Congress and vice-chairperson of the Jiusan Society Guangxi Regional Committee, said the number of projects in the two areas of leading new quality productive forces and improving people's livelihoods ranks in the top two.

Together, they comprise 53 projects, including high-end new materials, embodied artificial intelligence, and the expansion of basic education. "The layout of these major engineering projects also conveys the consideration of optimizing increments while improving the quality of existing stocks," Yin said.

In the opening year of the 15th Five-Year Plan, the Government Work Report proposed utilizing government investment to drive the participation of social forces.

Cheng Yongbo, a member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and president of Nanjing University of Finance and Economics, said that government investment in transportation, energy, and water conservancy can stimulate private investment from related industrial chains. "Through the innovation of investment and financing models, we can ensure that social capital is able to enter, remain, and maintain stable expectations, thereby fully activating the 'spring water' of social investment," Cheng said.

To ensure the effective implementation of these modern infrastructure systems, the draft outline proposes to strengthen the coordinated planning of infrastructure, optimize the layout, and enhance safety resilience, he added.