The power industry product carbon footprint and environmental product declaration platform has been officially launched, and online application functions for carbon footprint accounting and certification in 8 categories have been opened.
On September 26, 2024, China Electric Power Enterprises Council (hereinafter referred to as China ITU) released the Power Industry Product Carbon Footprint and Environmental Product Declaration Platform (hereinafter referred to as the Platform) at the "2024 Chongli Forum on New Power System Development."
Our reporter learned that the platform focuses on the three core functions of "calculating carbon","knowing carbon" and "controlling carbon", and gives full play to the role of standardization leadership, digital engine, professional intelligence empowerment, and market-oriented empowerment to provide power industry enterprises. Product carbon footprint (CFP) and environmental product declaration (EPD) services help the green and low-carbon development of the power industry chain.
It is reported that in June this year, 15 departments including the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the National Development and Reform Commission jointly issued the "Implementation Plan on Establishing a Carbon Footprint Management System" to encourage qualified regions, industries, and enterprises to take the lead in carrying out carbon footprint pilot work for key products and actively promote it. "Building a carbon emission statistical accounting system, a product carbon labeling and certification system, and a product carbon footprint management system" is also one of the reform tasks determined by the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.
In order to implement the strategic deployment of the Party Central Committee and the State Council on achieving carbon peak and carbon neutrality and promote the green and low-carbon transformation of the power industry, China Electricity Council has built this unified and standardized carbon footprint and environmental product declaration platform for China's localized power industry products.
"Calculating carbon","knowing carbon" and "controlling carbon" are the core functions of the platform
Provide technical support for the construction of the national carbon footprint management system
"For a long time, the power industry has attached great importance to green and low-carbon development. Through structural adjustment, energy conservation and consumption reduction, the carbon dioxide emission intensity of the power industry has continued to decline and achieved good results. At the same time, a large number of practices at home and abroad have shown that there is more room for carbon reduction in the entire industrial chain and better technical, economic and environmental benefits." Pan Li, deputy secretary-general of China Electricity Council, pointed out that from an international perspective, the EU carbon border adjustment mechanism and battery bill highlight the importance of green and low-carbon throughout the industry chain in international economic and trade cooperation. Product carbon footprint and environmental product declarations have become key constraints on imported products in Europe and the United States. Building a power industry product carbon footprint and environmental product declaration platform based on life cycle assessment theory and integrating standard construction, database development, and accounting capacity building has become an urgent need for high-quality development of power industry enterprises.
Therefore, the platform has set up three core functions of "calculating carbon","knowing carbon" and "controlling carbon" to provide technical support for the construction of the national carbon footprint management system.
Specifically, on the one hand, the platform focuses on full-cycle "carbon calculation" and can provide standardized accounting services. Taking "carbon calculation" as the starting point of work, in accordance with standardized documents such as the national standard "Requirements and Guidelines for Quantifying Carbon Footprint of Greenhouse Gas Products", and in accordance with the normative process of compiling standards, building models, and building manuals, we will achieve sufficient basis, standardized procedures, and mutual recognition of results. The whole process of "carbon calculation" is controlled, and product carbon footprint (CFP) and environmental product declaration (EPD) report certificates are issued.
On the other hand, the platform focuses on the whole society's "carbon awareness" and builds a localized factor database. Using "carbon awareness" as a bridge and link, we will unite with key industries such as upstream raw materials to continuously iteratively form carbon footprint factors for the power industry and carbon footprint benchmark values for key power equipment products, contributing power wisdom to the national product carbon footprint factor database.
At the same time, the platform focuses on all-round "carbon control" and promotes integrated carbon labeling certification. With the goal of "carbon control", we will promote enterprises to establish and improve carbon emission management systems, implement energy conservation and carbon reduction management requirements, tap the potential of carbon reduction, and enhance the low-carbon competitiveness of products; promote the industry to optimize supply chain management and achieve green and low-carbon development of the entire industry chain.
23 product carbon footprint reports have been initially formed
Open carbon footprint accounting and certification for 8 categories
Our reporter learned that the platform is characterized by service, fairness, openness, comprehensiveness, and authority.
In terms of service, the platform can not only serve power equipment manufacturing enterprises and power production enterprises to calculate and reduce carbon emissions, serve market entities to purchase low-carbon products, but also facilitate the power industry to accurately implement carbon emission control.
In terms of fairness, the platform follows a unified and standardized data collection and impact evaluation process for the same type of products to form a consistent product carbon footprint report, and passes independent third-party verification to ensure that the data is accurate, traceable, and comparable.
In terms of openness, users can voluntarily apply and share platform information. The platform encourages professional institutions to settle in, use platform resources to develop models and databases, and carry out product carbon footprint reporting and certification.
In terms of comprehensiveness, the platform covers two dimensions: power products and power equipment products, giving full play to the role of standardization leadership, digital engine, professional intelligence empowerment, and market-oriented empowerment to achieve green evaluation of products in the power industry, green manufacturing of enterprises, and green procurement in the industry. All-round services.
In terms of authority, the China Power Federation takes the lead in gathering the most professional team, compiling the most rigorous product standards, using the most adequate primary data, and forming a technical committee in conjunction with power grids, power generation, power equipment, universities and scientific research institutes. The whole process supervises and manages the work of the platform.
According to reports, the platform continues to advance in accordance with the principles of "overall planning, step-by-step implementation, open sharing, and win-win cooperation."
At this stage, the establishment and first draft preparation of 7 national standards, including coal-fired power generation, gas-fired power generation, hydropower generation, nuclear power generation, wind power generation, photovoltaic power generation and photothermal power generation, have been completed; the preparation and trial calculation of PCR group standards for 8 power equipment products such as boilers have been completed, and 23 product carbon footprint reports have been initially formed.
The platform has opened up online application functions for carbon footprint accounting and certification enterprises in eight categories: transformers, power cables, conductive and ground wires, transmission towers, smart energy meters, power station boilers, photovoltaic modules and inverters.
It is expected that the carbon footprint management system for the power industry will be initially established by 2025
Promote international connection and mutual recognition of power product carbon footprint accounting rules and certification results
According to Pan Li, in the next step, China ITU will focus on deepening platform construction in four aspects.
Accelerate the standardization of carbon footprint. Accelerate the preparation of standards and enrich the types of platform products in accordance with application scenarios such as "transmission, transmission, transformation, distribution, use, and storage". It is expected that by 2025, about 30 carbon footprint accounting rules and standards for key products in the power industry will be formulated and promulgated, and a carbon footprint management system for the power industry will be initially established. By 2027, about 80 carbon footprint accounting rules and standards for key products in the power industry will be formulated and promulgated, and a carbon footprint factor database for key products in the power industry will be initially constructed. The carbon footprint management system will be more complete and application scenarios will be more abundant.
Promote the construction of professional background databases. Combined with the production process of my country's power equipment products and the operating characteristics of the power system, we will clarify the data quality requirements and traceability requirements for various factor datasets in the power industry, sort out the list of data elements, and continuously gather data resources from upstream and downstream links of the industrial chain to build my country's local power industry. The product carbon footprint background database is smooth and updated regularly to promote external citations.
Actively carry out international exchanges and mutual recognition. Strengthen international carbon footprint methodological research, track carbon footprint related management systems, certification rules and implementation results of international organizations and major economies; strengthen communication and docking with international relevant parties, and promote the connection and mutual recognition of power product carbon footprint accounting rules and certification results. Actively participate in the formulation and revision of international standards and rules related to carbon footprints, and carry out exchanges and cooperation in academic fields and professional talent training.
Strengthen the standardized and orderly operation of the platform. Combined with the characteristics of power equipment products, we will promote the construction and operation of the platform in a professional and market-oriented manner. China Electricity Council will follow the relevant requirements of the national construction of a product carbon footprint management system, establish a review and evaluation mechanism, strictly control platform entrances and exports, and ensure the authority and accuracy of the report issued. China Electricity Council is willing to cooperate extensively with professional institutions to study and carry out product carbon footprint labeling certification, actively promote the inclusion of platform product carbon footprint results into the scope of green procurement acceptance of power grids and power generation companies, and guide companies to actively carry out product certification.
