Under the "Dual Carbon" Goals: Green Power Evolves from an Environmental Choice to a Strategic Imperative for Energy-Intensive Industries. At this juncture, there is an "opportunity account" and an "economic account" related to green power that steel enterprises must carefully settle.
In 2024, China Baowu's green power trading volume reached 2.2 billion kilowatt-hours, while HBIS Group's external green power procurement exceeded 1.3 billion kilowatt-hours. Additionally, numerous steel enterprises including China Baowu, Shougang Group, and Baotou Steel have been included in the China Top 100 Green Power Consumer Enterprises List (2025). These facts indicate that as an energy-intensive and high-carbon-emission sector, the steel industry is accelerating its transition to a new phase of green electricity consumption.
This transformation is not accidental; it is driven by the combined forces of policy guidance, economic incentives, and market pressure. Faced with increasingly urgent decarbonization requirements and the global need to build green supply chains, steel enterprises must urgently settle their "opportunity account" and "economic account" for green power, and proactively integrate green electricity consumption into their low-carbon development strategies.
在“双碳”目标下，绿色电力正从一种环保选择演变为高载能行业的战略需求。此时，有一笔关于绿色电力的“机遇账”与“经济账”亟待钢铁企业认真核算。
2024年，中国宝武绿色电力交易量达22亿千瓦时、河钢集团外购绿电超过13亿千瓦时；另外，包括中国宝武、首钢、包钢等在内的多家钢铁企业纷纷进入《中国绿色电力消费TOP100企业名录（2025）》。这些表明，作为能源密集型和碳排放重点行业，钢铁行业正在加速迈向用电绿色化的新阶段。
这一转型并非偶然，而是政策引导、经济激励与市场倒逼三重力量共同推动的结果。面对日益紧迫的脱碳要求和全球绿色供应链建构的需要，钢铁企业亟待算清“机遇账”与“经济账”，主动将绿电消费纳入企业的低碳发展战略。

Policy Compliance: From a "Bonus Item" to a Hard Constraint
政策合规：从“加分项”到硬约束
In the past, green electricity consumption was regarded as a "bonus item" for enterprises to fulfill their social responsibilities. Today, it is rapidly evolving into an unavoidable compliance requirement. In March 2024, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and four other ministries jointly issued the Opinions on Promoting the High-Quality Development of the Renewable Energy Green Power Certificate Market, explicitly stating that efforts should be accelerated to raise the proportion of green electricity consumption in key industries such as steel, non-ferrous metals, and building materials, with a target of reaching no less than the national average level of renewable energy power consumption responsibility weight by 2030.
In July of the same year, the NDRC and the National Energy Administration further refined the requirements, issuing explicit guidelines on green electricity consumption ratios for the steel industry for the first time, and designating 2025 as a transition year of "monitoring only without assessment". This arrangement not only grants enterprises time to adapt, but also sends a strong signal: green electricity consumption will be incorporated into the formal assessment system in the coming years. For steel enterprises, early deployment is not only a necessary measure to comply with regulations, but also a key action to seize the dividends of the policy window period.
过去，绿电消费被视为企业履行社会责任的“加分项”；如今，它正迅速转变为一项不可回避的合规要求。2024年3月份，国家发展改革委等五部门联合发布《关于促进可再生能源绿色电力证书市场高质量发展的意见》，明确提出要加快提升钢铁、有色、建材等重点行业绿色电力消费比例，并设定了到2030年不低于全国可再生能源电力总量消纳责任权重平均水平的目标。
同年7月份，国家发展改革委与国家能源局进一步细化要求，首次对钢铁行业提出明确的绿电消费比例指引，并明确设立2025年为“只监测不考核”的过渡年。这一安排既给予企业适应时间，又释放出强烈信号：未来几年内，绿电消费将纳入正式考核体系。对于钢铁企业而言，提前布局不仅是遵守法规的必要举措，还是争取政策窗口期红利的关键行动。

Incentive Mechanisms: Making Green Electricity Consumption Affordable and Rewarding
激励机制：让绿电消费可负担、有回报
While strengthening constraints, governments at all levels are reducing enterprises' green power usage costs through fiscal subsidies, park construction support, and financial tool innovation. Cities such as Beijing, Wuxi, and Changzhou have introduced direct subsidy policies for green power and green certificate transactions, encouraging enterprises to actively participate in the green power market.
More groundbreaking is the implementation of zero-carbon park policies. The Notice on Launching the Construction of Zero-Carbon Parks, issued in July 2024, clearly stipulates that electricity used in parks should be prioritized supplied directly by green power, with the direct supply ratio not less than 50% in principle. Cities including Changzhou and Nantong have simultaneously launched special funds to support enterprises in building ultra-high energy efficiency factories and zero-carbon factories. This means that if steel enterprises can integrate green power resources at the park level, they can not only meet policy requirements, but also obtain substantial financial support.
In addition, the financial system supporting the transformation of the steel industry is accelerating its construction. Hebei Province and Huzhou City in Zhejiang Province have taken the lead in issuing transition finance guidelines for the steel industry, focusing on supporting projects such as the construction of renewable energy power generation facilities and the improvement of electrification levels. These financial tools provide enterprises with long-term, low-cost financing channels, significantly enhancing the economic feasibility of green power investment.
在强化约束的同时，各级政府正通过财政补贴、园区建设支持和金融工具创新等方式，降低企业绿电使用成本。北京、无锡、常州等地已出台针对绿电和绿证交易的直接补贴政策，鼓励企业积极进入绿色电力市场。
更具突破性的是零碳园区政策的落地。2024年7月份发布的《关于开展零碳园区建设的通知》明确提出，园区用电应优先通过绿色电力直接供应，原则上直供比例不低于50%。常州、南通等地同步推出专项资金，支持企业建设极致能效工厂和零碳工厂。这意味着，钢铁企业若能在园区层面整合绿电资源，不仅能满足政策要求，还能获得实质性资金支持。
此外，针对钢铁行业转型的金融体系也在加速构建。河北省和浙江省湖州市两地率先出台针对钢铁行业的转型金融指引，重点支持可再生能源发电设施建设、电气化水平提升等项目。这些金融工具为企业提供了长期、低成本的融资渠道，显著地提高了绿电投资的经济可行性。

Market Pressure: Green Supply Chains Reshape the Competitive Landscape
市场倒逼：绿色供应链重塑竞争格局
In addition to policy and financial support, green procurement demand from downstream customers has become an important driving force for the transformation of steel enterprises.
In the construction sector, several real estate developers have jointly issued the Cooperation Declaration on Low-Carbon Emission Steel for China's Real Estate Industry, clearly expressing their intention to purchase low-carbon steel products. In the automobile manufacturing sector, automakers such as Beijing Benz and FAW-Volkswagen have begun cooperating with steel enterprises to develop "green steel" products and incorporate them into their supply chain sustainable development assessment systems.
These demand transmissions are being institutionalized. The Evaluation Method for Low-Carbon Emission Steel issued by the China Iron and Steel Industry Association explicitly requires that low-carbon emission steel certificates must disclose the proportion of green power used. This means that green power is no longer just an indicator for optimizing internal energy structures, but also a "passport" for products to enter high-end markets.
除政策与金融支持外，来自下游客户的绿色采购需求也成为推动钢铁企业转型的“重要拉力”。
在建筑领域，多家房地产开发商联合发起《关于中国房地产低碳排放钢的合作声明》，明确表达对低碳钢材的采购意向；在汽车制造领域，北京奔驰、一汽-大众等汽车企业已开始与钢铁企业合作开发“绿钢”产品，并将其纳入供应链可持续发展评估体系。
这些需求传导正在制度化。中国钢铁工业协会发布的《低碳排放钢评价方法》明确规定，低碳排放钢证书必须披露绿电使用比例。这意味着，绿电不再只是内部能源结构优化的指标，更成为产品能否进入高端市场的“通行证”。

Implementation Paths: How to Choose Among Three Green Electricity Consumption Models
实施路径：三大绿电消费模式如何选择
Currently, Chinese steel enterprises mainly adopt three approaches to achieve green electricity consumption: participating in green power trading, purchasing green power certificates, and constructing or investing in new energy power generation projects.
Green power trading allows enterprises to purchase electricity directly from new energy power plants, achieving both physical electricity acquisition and environmental rights and interests. It is suitable for large steel enterprises with stable electricity loads and market-oriented trading capabilities. Green certificate trading is more flexible: enterprises can quickly meet disclosure, certification, or short-term compliance needs by purchasing green certificates, with relatively low costs, but it does not involve changes in the actual source of electricity used. Although self-built new energy projects such as photovoltaic and wind power require large initial investments, they can achieve long-term energy independence, reduce energy costs, and demonstrate the enterprise's determination to achieve deep decarbonization. This model is particularly suitable for enterprises with their own factory areas, rooftops, or surrounding land resources.
In practice, most enterprises tend to adopt a combination of multiple models: using self-built distributed photovoltaic systems to meet part of the basic load, locking in medium- and long-term low-cost green power through green power trading, and supplementing the gap with green certificates to meet certification requirements. The key to determining which model to choose lies in adapting to local conditions. Enterprises should formulate phased, implementable green power strategies based on their own production characteristics, regional resource endowments, financial conditions, and supply chain needs.
当前，中国钢铁企业主要采用三种方式实现绿电消费：参与绿色电力交易、购买绿色电力证书（绿证），以及自建或投资新能源发电项目。
绿色电力交易允许企业直接从新能源发电厂购电，实现物理电量与环境权益的双重获取，适合用电负荷稳定、具备市场化交易能力的大型钢企。绿证交易则更为灵活，企业可通过购买绿证快速满足披露、认证或短期合规需求，成本相对较低，但不涉及实际用电来源的改变。虽然自建光伏、风电等新能源项目初期投入大，却能实现长期能源自主、降低用能成本，并彰显企业深度脱碳的决心，尤其适合拥有自有厂区、屋顶或周边土地资源的企业。
在实践中，多数企业倾向于组合使用多种模式。以自建分布式光伏满足部分基础负荷，通过绿电交易锁定中长期低价绿电，再辅以绿证填补缺口以满足认证要求。最终决定选择哪种模式，关键在于因地制宜，企业要结合自身生产特性、区域资源禀赋、财务状况及供应链需求，制订分阶段、可落地的绿电战略。

Future Outlook: Collaborative Efforts to Accelerate the Decarbonization Process
展望未来：协同发力，加速脱碳进程
The synergistic effect of policies and markets is expanding. In August 2024, Hebei Province launched the application for green power direct connection projects, explicitly prioritizing support for high-energy-consuming industries such as steel, cement, and chemicals, and promoting the nearby connection and local consumption of new energy. Shaanxi Province encourages private enterprises in industries such as steel to independently or entrust power sales companies to sign medium- and long-term green power agreements with new energy enterprises, further smoothing market channels.
It is foreseeable that driven by multiple factors such as stricter policy monitoring, increased incentive measures, and upgraded downstream demand, green electricity consumption in the steel industry will evolve from pilot exploration to large-scale application. Enterprises that take the lead in establishing green power procurement mechanisms, building "green steel" product lines, and integrating into the zero-carbon park ecosystem will not only win dual recognition from policies and markets, but also seize the initiative in the new round of industrial competition.
The transition to green power is not a "multiple-choice question", but a "must-answer question" related to survival and development. For steel enterprises, it is both a compliance measure to address regulatory pressure and a strategic investment to enhance brand value and explore high-end markets. Currently, we are at the critical intersection of the policy window period and the market cultivation period. Enterprises should promptly place green electricity consumption on their agenda—setting goals, evaluating paths, accumulating experience, and creating models.
Only by proactively embracing green power can the traditional heavy industry of steel truly forge the "green backbone" for the future and continue to play an indispensable role in China's low-carbon economic landscape.
政策与市场的协同效应正在放大。2024年8月份，河北省启动绿电直连项目申报，明确优先支持钢铁、水泥、化工等高载能行业，推动新能源就近接入、就地消纳。陕西省鼓励钢铁等行业的民营企业自行或委托售电公司与新能源企业签订中长期绿电协议，进一步打通市场通道。
可以预见的是，在政策监测趋严、激励措施加码、下游需求升级等多重因素驱动下，钢铁行业绿电消费将从试点探索迈向规模化应用。那些率先建立绿电采购机制、打造“绿钢”产品线、融入零碳园区生态的企业，不仅将赢得政策与市场的双重认可，还将在新一轮产业竞争中占据先机。
绿电转型不是一道“选择题”，而是一道关乎生存与发展的“必答题”。对钢铁企业而言，这既是应对监管压力的合规之举，也是提升品牌价值、开拓高端市场的战略投资。当前正处于政策窗口期与市场培育期的关键交汇点，企业应尽快将绿电消费提上议事日程——设定目标、评估路径、积累经验、打造样板。
唯有主动拥抱绿色电力，钢铁这一传统重工业才能真正锻造出面向未来的“绿色筋骨”，在中国低碳经济版图中，继续扮演不可或缺的角色。

(By Huang Hanrong, Source: China Metallurgical News, December 18, 2025)
（黄涵榕 来源：《中国冶金报》2025年12月18日）

(Using AI translation)
（使用AI翻译）