Abstract

China plays a prominent role in combating climate change. As the largest energy producer and consumer and the most significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emitter, China is facing intense pressure to decarbonise its energy sector, which is the most significant contributor to coal consumption and GHG emissions. In September 2020, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that China is committed to peaking emissions before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality before 2060. China’s adoption of a carbon neutrality objective would constitute a significant contribution to achieving the temperature goals of the Paris Agreement. However, the fundamental shift these pledges represent for the organisation of energy systems and the economy, more generally, generates essential questions for the domestic energy law and regulation in China. This article studies the reform of China’s electricity and gas sectors, known as the network-dependent energy industry, and the legal framework governing these sectors. The reform and regulatory governance of these two sectors are essential because it affects renewable energy integration and fuel switch, both of which lie at the centre of China’s pursuit of carbon neutrality.

This paper will be part of the OGEL Special Issue on "Energy Market Creation: Liberalisations and Transformations". More information here www.ogel.org/news.asp?key=716