2026 is the year of planning and layout for the 15th Five Year Plan, and also the starting year for the construction of an energy powerhouse. With the release of the "Ten Hard Core Measures" by State Grid Corporation of China and the recent convening of several industry heavyweight conferences, the development blueprint for the power industry in the next five years is gradually becoming clear. Driven by the dual goals of "dual carbon" and energy security strategy, the power industry is ushering in a critical turning point from scale expansion to system restructuring. The investment intensity of the power grid, the capacity for new energy consumption, and the intensity of market-oriented reforms will all reach a new level.

  According to the latest industry plan, during the "Tenth Five Year Plan" period, the State Grid Corporation of China's fixed assets investment is expected to reach 4 trillion yuan, a sharp increase of 40% over the "14th Five Year Plan" period; If combined with the investment scale of Southern Power Grid, the total investment of the national power grid is expected to approach 5 trillion yuan, with an average annual investment exceeding the 1 trillion yuan mark.

  
  Unlike before, the flow of this round of massive investments is more focused on the structural weaknesses of the system. The "Ten Measures to Serve the High Quality Development of New Energy" released by State Grid Corporation of China clearly states that the investment core will shift from the construction of a single main grid to a structural upgrade of "cross regional mutual aid (backbone network)+flexible carrying (distribution network)+flexible scheduling (intelligence)".

  
  During the critical window period of the 15th Five Year Plan, the power industry not only needs to cope with the "double high" risks of power angle stability and broadband oscillation brought by a high proportion of new energy, but also needs to support the explosive growth of new high energy consuming loads such as electric vehicles and artificial intelligence data centers. By 2025, the total electricity consumption of the society will reach a historic breakthrough of 10.4 trillion kilowatt hours, and it is expected to continue to grow by 5% -6% in 2026, reaching around 11 trillion kilowatt hours. This huge demand will force a comprehensive upgrade of the power system.

  
  In the field of power system reform, there will be a breakthrough in the deep water area during the 15th Five Year Plan period. The keyword 'effectively undertaking the comprehensive entry of new energy into the market' means that new energy such as wind power and photovoltaics will fully participate in electricity market transactions, guide resource optimization allocation through market price signals, and fully unleash market vitality.

  
  At the same time, the mechanism for green electricity consumption is also continuously improving. State Grid proposes to promote "hourly level new energy green electricity trading" to improve the quality and efficiency of green certificate coverage services, in order to meet the green electricity needs of various enterprises, especially export-oriented enterprises. Clear target setting: By 2030, the increase in electricity demand will mainly be met by new energy generation.

  
  Wang Zhixuan, deputy leader of the expert group of the China Electricity Council, emphasized that the construction of an energy powerhouse must handle the dialectical relationship between green and low-carbon transformation and safe supply. It can be predicted that with the implementation of nearly 5 trillion yuan investment and the completion of the national unified power market, China's new power system will basically take shape during the "Tenth Five Year Plan" period, providing a more solid and green power guarantee for Chinese path to modernization.