Ministry of Natural Resources, National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Finance, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Energy Administration: Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Large-scale Utilization of Marine Energy

Coastal provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the central government, and cities specifically designated in the state plan's natural resources (marine) authorities, development and reform commissions, industry and information technology authorities, finance departments (bureaus), energy bureaus, research institutes of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and relevant enterprises:

Marine energy is an important green and renewable energy source, encompassing tidal energy (including tidal range energy and tidal current energy), wave energy, thermal gradient energy, and salinity gradient energy, among others. The development and utilization of marine energy are conducive to fostering new quality productive forces. It holds significant importance in alleviating power shortages in eastern coastal regions, islands, and offshore facilities, as well as in advancing the construction of a new energy system and strengthening the marine economy to build a maritime power.

To implement the decisions and plans of the Party Central Committee and the State Council on developing the marine economy and advancing the construction of a strong maritime nation, as well as the tasks outlined in the *14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035* and the relevant provisions of the *Energy Law*, the following opinions are proposed to promote the large-scale utilization of marine energy.

I. General Requirements

Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, we will fully implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the second and third plenary sessions of the 20th Central Committee. We will thoroughly, accurately, and comprehensively implement the new development philosophy, with the theme of promoting high-quality development. We will focus on the large-scale utilization of marine energy, cultivate and develop new productive forces in the marine sector, promote the development of new marine energy technologies and models, and integrate marine energy with various offshore production activities. We will expand the application scenarios of marine energy, enhance the economic and social benefits of marine energy development and utilization, actively build a safe and reliable new offshore energy system, and provide strong support for developing the marine economy and building a strong maritime nation.

Scientific accounting and planning guidance. Conduct surveys and potential assessments of marine energy resources by category and region to clarify resource distribution. Based on resource endowment, moderately anticipate and reserve development space to enhance the level of resource conservation and intensive utilization.

Innovation-driven, iterative optimization. Adhere to innovation-driven strategies, promote technological and model innovations for the large-scale utilization of marine energy, accelerate breakthroughs in key core technologies, facilitate the iterative upgrading of superior technical equipment, and enhance technical and economic efficiency.

Pilot projects first, then scale up. Support the construction of pilot projects for marine energy utilization, summarize and promote the experience from these pilots, steadily increase the scale of projects, use scaling to drive down costs, and foster industrial development.

Policy guidance, market leadership. Strengthen legal safeguards, enhance policy support, fully leverage the role of market mechanisms, continuously optimize resource allocation, and create a favorable development environment.

Coordinate and synergize efforts to advance collectively. Adhere to the integration of land and sea, balancing the energy needs and ecological protection requirements of the coast, islands, and deep sea. Strengthen the collaboration among departments, local authorities, and market entities, working together in unison and resonance.

Strive to achieve an installed capacity of marine energy reaching millions of kilowatts by the year, complete a number of multi-energy complementary power systems on islands and large-scale demonstration projects of marine energy, continuously expand and enrich the application scenarios of marine energy, form a series of efficient, stable, and economical marine energy technology and equipment products, further improve and perfect the legal, policy, standard systems, and market environment for the large-scale and industrial development of marine energy, and cultivate a number of enterprises with strong technological R&D capabilities and global competitiveness for the large-scale development and utilization of marine energy.

2. Scientific Assessment of Resource Potential

(1) Strengthen resource investigation and assessment. Conduct classified organization of marine energy resource investigation and assessment in China, carry out basic research on resource distribution patterns and resource evaluation, scientifically calculate resource development potential, and build a marine energy resource database and service platform.

(2) Optimize the layout of development and utilization. Encourage coastal regions to consider the needs for marine energy land use, sea use, and island use, along with ecological protection requirements, during the formulation and implementation of territorial spatial planning and coastal zone and offshore spatial planning. Proactively plan potential marine energy development areas on the "one map" of territorial spatial planning, strengthen the guarantee of essential elements, promote the orderly and categorized development of marine energy, and enhance the level of economical and intensive use of sea areas.

3. Strengthen the Leading Role of Scientific and Technological Innovation

(3) Strengthen research on cutting-edge technologies. Develop new technologies and methods for efficient conversion of low-power-density marine energy, explore frontier technologies for the utilization of tidal and wave energy, and conduct research on new mechanisms for power generation and comprehensive utilization of ocean thermal energy and salinity gradient energy.

(4) Breakthrough in Key Core Technologies. Strengthen the research and development of key technologies for large-scale utilization of marine energy, accelerate pilot testing and technological iteration and upgrading. Support the tackling of key core equipment technologies such as megawatt-level tidal energy generation, wave energy generation, and comprehensive utilization of high-power temperature difference energy.

(5) Accelerate the development and application of equipment. Support the technological upgrading of tidal range, tidal current, and wave energy units and power station equipment that have been operating stably and have development potential. Strengthen the research and development of new equipment, enhance the reliability and maintainability of the equipment, reduce construction and operation and maintenance costs, and improve the economic efficiency of marine energy power generation.

(6) Establish innovation service platforms. Support the construction of scientific and technological innovation platform bases related to marine energy to cultivate high-end talent. Leverage the National Marine Comprehensive Test Site to enhance the public service capabilities of the marine energy industry. Accelerate the construction of testing, inspection, and certification platforms for marine energy equipment to support the development and application of independent technological equipment.

4. Continuously Expand Pilot Projects

(7) Implement a key project for hundred-megawatt-level tidal energy. In regions rich in tidal energy resources, support the use of tidal energy generation as one of the green energy supplementary solutions for coastal areas and islands. Phase in the construction of a key project for the large-scale utilization of hundred-megawatt-level tidal energy in Zhoushan, Zhejiang, aiming to initiate the first megawatt-level project within the year.

(8) Promote the large-scale utilization of wave energy. In areas rich in wave energy resources, steadily advance the construction of megawatt-level wave energy pilot projects. Support the co-development of wave energy and offshore wind power, sharing supporting infrastructure to reduce the overall development costs of wave energy resources. Encourage the development of wave energy in conjunction with offshore wind farms.

(9) Support the comprehensive utilization of thermal energy resources. Support the deployment and development of large-scale pilot projects for the comprehensive utilization of thermal energy in regions rich in thermal energy resources. This will drive down the cost of end-use energy through multi-value-added products and enhance the economic benefits of thermal energy applications.

(10) Promote the application of multi-energy complementarity on islands. Support the construction of marine energy multi-energy complementary power stations on islands to achieve continuous and stable power supply to the islands and nearby sea areas, alleviate the shortage of electricity for island residents, and enhance the energy security capability of the islands.

(11) Support pilot projects for multi-domain integration. Promote the integrated development of marine energy with seawater desalination, offshore oil and gas platforms, breakwaters, and other areas. Support marine energy in providing green energy guarantees for marine observation and monitoring equipment, platforms, and marine engineering. Encourage the installation of marine energy power generation equipment in deep-sea marine ranches.

5. Optimizing the Industrial Development Environment

(12) Promote the clustering development of industries. Leverage the advantages of coastal regions in marine energy resources, technology, and markets, and strengthen the support of resource elements such as talent, technology, capital, and policies. Encourage provinces such as Shandong, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, and Hainan to include the development of tidal energy, wave energy, and thermal gradient energy in their key tasks for marine economic development, expand the scale of demonstration projects, and summarize and promote replicable experiences.

(13) Improve the standard and regulatory system. Encourage the inclusion of marine energy utilization into the green and low-carbon development standard and regulatory systems across various fields. Support the development of standards for key areas such as site selection for marine energy power stations, power station design, equipment manufacturing, offshore construction, and operation and maintenance. Strengthen the implementation of standards and regulations, and enhance the evaluation of implementation effectiveness.

(14) Support enterprises in strengthening and supplementing their industrial chains. Support enterprises in taking the lead in implementing major national projects, encourage enterprises to continuously increase their R&D investment, and tackle key core technologies. Support enterprises in leading the establishment of innovation platforms for the development and utilization of marine energy, promote the integration of innovation and industrial chains, cultivate and expand leading technology enterprises and specialized, sophisticated, distinctive, and innovative small and medium-sized enterprises in the marine energy sector, and accelerate the formation of a virtuous cycle of "research for application and application to promote research."

6. Strengthen Open Cooperation and Development

(15) Implement the "Going Global" initiative for equipment. Support the development of marine energy technology through international cooperation, and promote international mutual recognition of standards and rules in equipment technology, testing, and inspection. Encourage enterprises to participate in international promotion activities and support marine energy equipment manufacturing companies in "going global."

(16) Expanding New Spaces for Cooperation. Actively participate in the affairs of international marine energy organizations, engage in the formulation of international standards and rules for marine energy, and research on hot topics, contributing Chinese wisdom to the global development of marine energy. Continuously promote bilateral and multilateral cooperation in marine energy, deepen cooperation and exchanges with international marine energy organizations and relevant countries, and explore the potential for cooperation with countries involved in the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative.

7. Strengthening Policy Measures and Safeguards

(17) Strengthen Policy Support. Promote the inclusion of large-scale utilization of marine energy in the revision of the Renewable Energy Law and the development plan for renewable energy. Study the medium and long-term development plan for marine energy. Enhance the deployment of national science and technology programs in the field of marine energy, ensuring alignment with already deployed tasks, and strengthen the research and breakthrough of key core technologies in marine energy. Support the prioritization of marine energy equipment in the evaluation of major technical equipment in the energy sector. Guide coastal provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) to study the pricing mechanism for marine energy power generation according to local conditions, incorporate marine energy into the "Green and Low-Carbon Advanced Technology Demonstration Project" and "Renewable Energy Development Pilot", accelerate the organization and implementation of large-scale pilot projects for marine energy, and optimize the project approval process.

(18) Deepen and expand diversified support channels. Coordinate and utilize existing central fiscal funding channels to support activities such as marine energy resource surveys and the construction of public service platforms. Guide state-owned enterprises to invest in the development and utilization of marine energy, and encourage various financial institutions to increase support in accordance with laws and regulations. Encourage private enterprises and social capital to invest in the development and utilization of marine energy.

(19) Strengthen organizational coordination. Relevant departments shall, in accordance with their respective responsibilities, enhance overall coordination, supervision, and guidance to organize and advance the implementation of this document. Coastal regions shall, based on this document and considering their actual marine energy development conditions and resource endowments, formulate implementation plans.

自然资源部  国家发展改革委  工业信息化部
财政部  中国科学院  国家能源局
2025年2月5日