Recently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment jointly issued the Implementation Plan for Carbon Peak in Nonferrous Metals Industry (MIIT Lianyuan [2022] No. 153) (hereinafter referred to as the Implementation Plan). In order to solidly promote the implementation of the Implementation Plan, the relevant contents are interpreted as follows:
1、 What is the background and significance of formulating the Implementation Plan?
  Non ferrous metal industry is an important basic industry for national economic construction, an important support for building a manufacturing power, and a key industry of carbon emission in China's industrial field. The Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Completely, Accurately and Comprehensively Implementing the New Development Concept and Doing a Good Job of Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutralization clearly put forward that the implementation plan for carbon peak in nonferrous metals and other industries should be formulated to support qualified localities, key industries and key enterprises to take the lead in achieving carbon peak. The Action Plan for Carbon Peak by 2030 clearly takes carbon peak in nonferrous metal industry as one of the key tasks.
In recent years, the nonferrous metal industry has developed rapidly, forming a complete industrial chain connecting upstream and downstream. The production capacity of smelting and calendering of key varieties is more than half of the world's production capacity. The smelting technology is mature, and the energy consumption and pollutant emissions per unit product have reached the international advanced level. However, due to the large scale of the industry, the dependence of the power consumption structure on thermal power, the lack of revolutionary breakthroughs in carbon reduction technology, and the imperfect circular economy system, carbon has reached its peak The task of reducing carbon emissions remains arduous. The formulation of the Implementation Plan is conducive to the whole industry to unify ideas, improve understanding, identify methods and paths, accelerate the green and low-carbon transformation, and ensure that carbon reaches its peak by 2030.
2、 What are the characteristics of carbon emissions in non-ferrous metal industry?
The carbon emission characteristics of nonferrous metal industry are mainly shown in three aspects. First, smelting is the core link of carbon emission. The nonferrous metal industry chain is long, involving mining and dressing, smelting and calendering. The carbon emissions from smelting process account for about 90% of the total carbon emissions of the whole industry. Second, aluminum is a key carbon emission product. Carbon emissions of non-ferrous metals are concentrated in aluminum, copper, lead, zinc, magnesium, industrial silicon, etc., of which aluminum accounts for more than 75% of the industry's carbon emissions. Third, electricity is the main source of carbon emissions. Indirect emissions caused by electricity use account for about 70% of the total carbon emissions of the industry, followed by fuel combustion emissions and process emissions.
3、 What are the general requirements of the Implementation Plan?
  In accordance with the working principle of "two wheel drive, technological innovation, key breakthroughs, and orderly promotion", taking deepening the supply side structural reform as the main line, optimizing the smelting capacity scale, adjusting and optimizing the industrial structure, strengthening technical energy conservation and carbon reduction, promoting clean energy substitution, and building a green manufacturing system as the focus, we will improve the efficiency of pollution reduction and carbon reduction across the industry chain, and accelerate the construction of a new green and low-carbon development pattern, Ensure that the non-ferrous metal industry reaches its peak carbon level as scheduled.
4、 What is the basis for target setting of carbon peak in nonferrous metals industry?
The Implementation Plan focuses on the two key periods of carbon peak during the "14th Five Year Plan" and the "15th Five Year Plan", and puts forward the phased goals before 2025 and 2030.
The "Fourteenth Five Year Plan" period is a critical period for the nonferrous metal industry to deeply adjust the industrial structure, accelerate the construction of a clean energy system, and research and develop green low-carbon technologies. The key varieties should continue to promote energy conservation transformation and upgrading based on the energy efficiency benchmark level, and reduce carbon emission intensity. According to the "Fourteenth Five Year Plan" Circular Economy Development Plan, the output of recycled non-ferrous metals in China will reach 20 million tons by 2025, including 4 million tons of recycled copper, 11.5 million tons of recycled aluminum and 2.9 million tons of recycled lead. Therefore, the Implementation Plan proposes that by 2025, the industrial structure and energy consumption structure of nonferrous metals will be significantly optimized, significant progress will be made in the research, development and application of low-carbon processes, energy consumption and carbon emission intensity per unit product of key varieties will be further reduced, and the supply of renewable metals will account for more than 24%.
During the "Tenth Five Year Plan" period, China will establish a clean, low-carbon, safe and efficient energy system, and form an energy production and consumption pattern in which non fossil energy will replace fossil energy stocks on a large scale by 2030. With the transfer of electrolytic aluminum production capacity to regions rich in renewable energy, the proportion of renewable energy will be further increased, the energy consumption structure of the nonferrous metal industry will be significantly improved, and the industrial green development system will be basically formed. Therefore, the Implementation Plan proposes that by 2030, the energy consumption structure of the nonferrous metal industry will be significantly improved, and the proportion of electrolytic aluminum using renewable energy will reach more than 30%. The green, low-carbon and circular development industry system will be basically established.
5、 Why should the smelting capacity scale be optimized?
Smelting is the core link of carbon emission in nonferrous metal industry, and optimizing smelting capacity scale is an important means to achieve carbon peak. In recent years, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other four departments jointly carried out the special action to clean up and rectify the illegal and illegal projects of electrolytic aluminum, shut down and called for the suspension of a large number of illegal built and under built capacity, adhere to the total capacity constraint, strictly implement capacity replacement, and strictly control the new capacity. Remarkable results have been achieved. The next step is to continue to deepen the supply side structural reform, and consolidate the results of resolving the excess capacity of electrolytic aluminum. At the same time, copper, lead, zinc, alumina and other varieties also face the risk of blind expansion of smelting capacity, and the green and low-carbon development level of industrial silicon, magnesium and other industries needs to be improved. For this reason, the Implementation Plan proposes to focus on the smelting link with high energy consumption and large carbon emissions, consolidate the results of supply side structural reform, and study the differentiated reduction and replacement policy based on the preliminary work of the electrolytic aluminum industry; For copper, lead, zinc, aluminum oxide and other key varieties with limited incremental consumption demand, it is emphasized to prevent disorderly expansion of smelting capacity; For industrial silicon, magnesium and other industries with large consumption potential, strengthen policy guidance and promote the formation of a higher level of dynamic balance between supply and demand. We will give full play to the role of energy consumption, carbon emissions, environmental protection and other constraints, and promote the transformation of the non-ferrous metal industry from "seeking large scale with quantity" to "striving for strength with quality" by raising the access threshold for new construction, reconstruction and expansion smelting projects.
6、 How to promote the optimization and adjustment of the industrial structure of non-ferrous metals?
Focus on the problems of the non-ferrous metal industry, such as many varieties, low concentration, and the level of quality and efficiency to be improved, give full play to the decisive role of the market in resource allocation, and better play the role of the government. First, guide the efficient and intensive development of the industry. Give play to the role of industry standard conditions and self-discipline conventions, optimize the supply of factor resources, encourage enterprises to implement mergers and acquisitions and carbon reduction strategic cooperation, improve industry concentration, and reduce carbon emissions per unit product by taking advantage of scale effect. Second, strengthen industrial coordination and coupling. Promote the coordinated development of upstream and downstream industries and cross industry coupling, promote the sharing of factor resources, and maximize the value of resources and energy. Third, accelerate the exit of inefficient production capacity. Guided by energy conservation and carbon reduction, we will revise and improve the Guiding Catalogue of Industrial Restructuring and the green electricity price policies such as tiered electricity prices, eliminate the backward process, technology and equipment in the non-ferrous metal industry, accelerate the withdrawal of backward production capacity according to law and regulations, make room for high-quality development of local and enterprise, and gather resources to cultivate new momentum for industrial development.
7、 How to achieve energy conservation and carbon reduction in the industry through technological innovation?
Technological innovation is an important driving force to promote energy conservation and carbon reduction. To promote the green and low-carbon development of the non-ferrous metal industry, we need to give full play to the supporting and leading role of scientific and technological innovation in the green and low-carbon fields, guide the upgrading of process technology and equipment in key industries, lay out cutting-edge technology research, encourage original innovation, strengthen the promotion and application of innovative achievements, and promote energy conservation and carbon reduction technologies to achieve new breakthroughs. To this end, the Implementation Plan proposes to formulate a roadmap for the development of green and low-carbon technologies in the non-ferrous metal industry, and define the direction of research, development, application and promotion of key technologies before 2030; Strengthen the dominant position of enterprises in green and low-carbon innovation, encourage enterprises to carry out energy-saving and carbon reduction technology transformation, create major energy-saving and carbon reduction transformation demonstration applications, and promote the overall energy efficiency level of the industry; Support leading enterprises in the industry to build a low-carbon innovation carrier for nonferrous metals, gather advantages to carry out common key technologies, cutting-edge leading technology breakthrough and demonstration applications, and promote enterprises to continuously optimize process flow; Through technical research and development, reserve and application, it provides sustainable power for energy conservation and carbon reduction in the non-ferrous metal industry.
8、 Why promote clean energy substitution?
China's nonferrous metal industry uses fossil energy as its fuel and power consumption structure, with large carbon emissions per unit product. Take electrolytic aluminum, which consumes the largest amount of electricity, for example. More than 60% of the production capacity uses coal-fired self-contained power, and the carbon emission intensity of products is much higher than that of the same type of products using clean energy abroad. Indirect emissions caused by electricity use account for 85% of the carbon emissions of electrolytic aluminum, and more than 50% of the total emissions of the nonferrous metal industry. To this end, it is necessary to promote the non-ferrous metal industry to replace coal with gas and coal with electricity, control fossil energy consumption, encourage electrolytic aluminum and other enterprises to orderly transfer to regions rich in renewable energy, promote the conversion of coal-fired self provided power to grid power, and reduce carbon emissions per unit product from the source.
9、 How to build a green manufacturing system?
The construction of green manufacturing system in nonferrous metal industry requires continuous efforts in three aspects. First, develop the renewable nonferrous metal industry. Fully tap the resource value of "urban mines", make use of the characteristics of low energy consumption and low carbon emissions of renewable non-ferrous metals, and reduce carbon emissions by replacing the original smelting products on the premise of meeting the terminal consumption. Taking the aluminum industry as an example, the energy consumption and carbon emissions per unit product of recycled aluminum are 5% and 2% of electrolytic aluminum respectively. With the approaching of the rapid recovery period of waste aluminum in China and the gradual improvement of the import standard of waste aluminum, the output and consumption of recycled aluminum will grow steadily. According to the calculation of 11.5 million tons of recycled aluminum output in 2025, carbon emissions will be effectively reduced by more than 100 million tons. Second, accelerate the realization of cleaner production. Establish a green and low-carbon supply chain management system, implement cleaner production transformation, and adopt green and efficient transportation methods to achieve low-carbon throughout the product production process. Third, promote industrial digital transformation. Through the establishment of an intelligent production system with the functions of process flow optimization, dynamic production scheduling, energy consumption management, quality optimization, etc., an intelligent manufacturing system of the whole industrial chain is built. By using information, digital and intelligent technologies, the level of refined energy management is improved and the efficiency of resource and energy utilization is improved.
10、 How to promote the implementation of the Implementation Plan?
The Implementation Plan proposes six safeguards. First, strengthen overall planning and coordination. Clarify the division of responsibilities of relevant departments, local governments and industry leading enterprises, and strengthen implementation. The second is to strengthen incentives and constraints. We will implement differentiated policies and support enterprises in tackling green and low-carbon technologies and upgrading them. Third, strengthen financial support. Encourage financial institutions to use financing, bonds, futures, funds and other financial means to promote the implementation of green low-carbon projects and the sustainable development of enterprises. Fourth, improve the standard measurement system. Gradually improve the accounting, verification, evaluation, technology, management services and other standards and measurement systems related to carbon emissions, and formulate and revise energy consumption quota standards for key varieties. Fifth, improve public services. Build a public service platform for green and low-carbon development of non-ferrous metal industry, encourage enterprises to form low-carbon development alliances, and promote collaborative carbon reduction. Sixth, strengthen demonstration and guidance. Give play to the leading role of enterprises, parks and other pilot projects, promote experience and practices, and create a good environment for green and low-carbon development of the industry.