China Issues 15th Five-Year Coal Plan, Focuses on Tech Upgrades and Green R&D

The National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration have recently issued the 15th Five-Year Plan for Coal Industry Development, which sets as its core task the high-standard, high-quality implementation of national major science and technology projects in the coal sector. The plan calls for intensified research and development of key coal technology and equipment, with a focus on breakthroughs in equipment for rapid excavation of coal-rock roadways and efficient mining of ultra-large open-pit mines, thereby raising the industry's levels of mechanization and intelligence. Concurrently, it accelerates the self-developed and domestic substitution of industrial software and critical components for coal machinery equipment, and promotes the application of first-set major technical equipment in the coal industry within the energy sector, with a view to facilitating the conversion of technological achievements and industrial upgrading.

The plan further lays out deployment of frontier research in green and low-carbon technologies, encouraging and supporting exploration in such directions as large-scale, low-energy carbon dioxide capture, mineralization and conversion utilization, efficient catalytic reduction, and reliable storage. These measures are intended to steer the coal industry toward a low-carbon and clean transformation while safeguarding energy security. The plan reflects a systematic arrangement for scientific and technological innovation and green development in the coal sector, providing a policy framework for subsequent technical breakthroughs and equipment applications.