In order to further standardize the handling of energy regulatory complaints and ensure that natural persons, legal entities, or other organizations can exercise their rights to report complaints in accordance with the law, the "Measures for Handling Complaints through the Energy Regulatory Hotline" have been formulated and are hereby issued to you for compliance.

Measures for handling reports from the energy regulatory hotline

Article 1: This Measures is formulated to safeguard the rights of natural persons, legal entities, or other organizations to report in accordance with the law, and to regulate the handling of energy regulatory reports, in accordance with relevant laws, regulations, and rules.

Article 2 For the purposes of these Measures, a report refers to the act of a natural person, legal entity, or other organization reflecting that an energy enterprise, during its production and business operations, is suspected of violating relevant energy laws, regulations, and rules, and requesting the National Energy Administration and its dispatched agencies to investigate and deal with such violations.

Article 3: Handling of energy regulatory complaints shall adhere to the principles of legality, fairness, and serving the people.

Article 4: The National Energy Administration establishes an Energy Regulatory Hotline Platform (hereinafter referred to as the Hotline Platform). The Hotline Platform receives reports within the regulatory scope of the National Energy Administration and its dispatched agencies through methods such as telephone, WeChat official account, mobile application, email, and fax. The Hotline Platform is operated and managed by the Energy Regulatory Hotline Center (hereinafter referred to as the Hotline Center).

Article 5: Reporting matters are subject to the principle of territorial management. The national energy administration's dispatched agencies handle reporting matters within their jurisdiction according to these measures. During the process of handling reporting matters, if the dispatched agencies discover that the reporting matter falls under the responsibilities of local energy authorities, they should promptly inform the reporter. For matters that have significant impact nationwide or in the energy industry, or where the reporting target is the headquarters of a central energy enterprise, the national energy administration may upgrade the handling level or designate a dispatched agency to handle the matter.

Article 6: Upon receiving a report, the Hotline Center shall promptly record it in the Complaint and Reporting Processing Information System and dispatch the report work order to the local派出机构 of the National Energy Administration within the specified number of working days.

Article 7: When reporting to the hotline platform, the whistleblower shall provide the following information and materials: (1) Basic information of the person being reported; (2) The matter being reported, the facts of the person being reported's violation, and related evidence materials; (3) Other information and materials required by the National Energy Administration and its dispatched agencies.

Article 8: Reports meeting the following conditions shall be accepted: (1) There is a clear person being reported; (2) There are specific illegal facts and relevant supporting evidence; (3) It falls within the regulatory responsibilities of the National Energy Administration and its dispatched agencies.

Article 9: The following reports will not be accepted: (1) Reports that fail to provide information or materials as required by Article 7; (2) Reports that do not fall within the regulatory responsibilities of the National Energy Administration or its dispatched agencies; (3) Reports without a clear subject, specific illegal acts, or unclear clues; (4) Reports where the matter has already been or should be addressed through legal channels such as litigation, arbitration, or administrative reconsideration; (5) Reports where the matter is already under investigation or has been addressed, and the reporter files another report with the same facts or reasons; (6) Other reports that should not be accepted according to law.

Article 10: The National Energy Administration and its dispatched agencies shall decide whether to accept a report within a specified number of working days from the date of receipt. If a decision is made not to accept the report, the reasons must be explained to the named reporter.

Article 11: The National Energy Administration and its派出机构, upon investigation and verification, shall handle the matter according to different circumstances: (1) If the facts of the reported person's illegal or irregular conduct are clear and the evidence is conclusive, administrative penalties or other regulatory measures shall be imposed in accordance with the law; if a crime is suspected, the case shall be transferred to the judicial authorities for handling; (2) If the reported person is found not to have engaged in any illegal or irregular conduct, the case shall be terminated and closed; (3) If the reported matter cannot be verified, the case shall be terminated and closed.

Article 12: Complaints should be resolved within days from the date of acceptance. Under any of the following circumstances, the processing period may be extended, but the extension shall not exceed days, and the reason for the extension shall be informed to the complainant: (1) The complaint is complex and involves multiple parties; (2) The investigation and evidence collection of the complaint is difficult; (3) The complaint requires professional appraisal; (4) New facts or evidence are presented by the complainant, necessitating further investigation and verification; (5) Other circumstances requiring an extension of the processing period.

Article 13: If the report meets the conditions for filing a case for administrative penalties, the investigation and handling shall be conducted in accordance with the "Administrative Penalty Law of the People's Republic of China" and relevant regulations.

Article 14: The National Energy Administration and its dispatched agencies shall, within one working day from the date of making the decision to conclude a complaint, inform the named complainant of the result and basis of the complaint handling, the reasons, and the remedies such as reconsideration or litigation that the complainant may take, through means such as email, SMS, letter, or telephone. If the complainant requests a written reply, a written reply shall be provided.

Article 15: The hotline center shall conduct a follow-up visit to the named complainant within one working day after receiving the feedback on the completion of the report, and record the follow-up visit accurately.

Article 16: Energy regulatory reporting handling personnel shall keep confidential any business secrets or personal privacy they become aware of during the process of handling reports.

Article 17: Energy regulatory reporting personnel who abuse their powers or engage in misconduct in the handling of reports, resulting in violations of laws and regulations, shall be held accountable in accordance with the law and regulations.

Article 18: Natural persons, legal entities, or other organizations shall be responsible for the authenticity of the content and materials they report. They must not fabricate or distort facts, nor falsely accuse or slander others, nor create disturbances under the guise of reporting to interfere with the normal conduct of energy regulatory work.

Article 19: The National Energy Administration and its dispatched agencies shall regularly publish to the public the status of complaint handling and typical cases.

Article 20: This measure shall come into force on the day of month of year and shall remain in effect for a period of five years.