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As the \"ballast stone\" of our country’s energy system, the role of coal-fired power in the development of a new electricity system is undergoing a profound transformation. Faced with the peak-shaving pressures arising from the large-scale integration of new energy sources, as well as the carbon-reduction requirements under the \"dual carbon\" goals, how coal power can achieve high-quality development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period has become a focus for the industry. The industry generally believes that the role of coal-fired power will shift from being the \"main force\" for generating electricity to serving as a \"regulator\" to ensure system stability. This is not merely a technological upgrade; it is a systemic transformation that requires the joint efforts of policy mechanisms and the market environment. The shift from a \"main force\" to a \"regulator\" is an inevitable choice. The share of coal-fired power generation in total capacity has dropped from 57.33% in 2016 to 35.7% in 2024, but its absolute value remains above 1.2 billion kilowatts. ”Li Zhongcai, deputy director of the Power Generation Engineering Consulting Institute under the Electric Power Planning and Design Institute, stated at the recently held \"Exchange Meeting on Technologies for Upgrading and Modernizing New Generation Coal-fired Power Plants\" that this trend of increasing volume while decreasing proportion reflects a shift in the role of coal-fired power in the energy structure – from being the \"main force\" for generating electricity to serving as a \"regulator\" to ensure the stability of the power system. With the explosive growth in new energy installations, the volatility of power systems has increased significantly. “Wind and solar power generation are intermittent and volatile; periods with no wind or sunlight lasting for several days occur from time to time, and energy storage alone is insufficient to address the issue of long-term regulation. ”Li Zhongcai emphasized that the reliable output of coal-fired power plants is the “last line of defense” for dealing with extreme weather conditions and ensuring power supply security at present. Especially during the peak summer and winter periods, coal-fired power plays an irreplaceable role in supporting the maximum load. However, the transition away from coal power faces multiple challenges. On one hand, as the market-oriented reform of the power sector progresses, coal-fired power enterprises are facing difficulties such as the abolition of planned electricity pricing, volatile coal prices at high levels, and insufficient revenues from ancillary services. In some cases, power plants are actually incurring losses for every kilowatt-hour generated ； On the other hand, as carbon emission restrictions become stricter, the coal power industry must achieve carbon peak by 2030 and implement total emission controls, with the carbon emission intensity per unit of GDP needing to be reduced by more than 65% compared to 2005 levels. “This means that coal-fired power generation must be effectively controlled, while reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions per unit through technological upgrades. ”Li Zhongcai said. Against this backdrop, the concept of “next-generation coal power” emerged. **The notice issued by the National Development and Reform Commission and the **Energy Administration regarding the release of the \"Implementation Plan for the Special Action to Upgrade New Generation Coal Power Plants (2025–2027)\」states that both new power plants and those already in operation need to focus on four key aspects: clean carbon reduction, safety and reliability, efficient regulation, and intelligent operation. Huang Jing, assistant general manager of Dongfang Electric Group Power Engineering Design Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Dongfang Design”), said, “For coal-fired power, it’s no longer the case that the larger the capacity, the better; rather, the more flexible it is, the better. This allows for greater regulatory capabilities with fewer installed capacities, thereby achieving the lowest possible costs for society as a whole.” ” “In the process of promoting the upgrading and transformation of ‘next-generation coal power,’ we have come to realize that it is essential to adopt a systematic approach and carry out comprehensive planning from an overall perspective. ”Luo Jin, deputy chief engineer at Dongfang Design, told a reporter from China Energy News, “As a design institute under Dongfang Electric Group that holds Class A qualifications in thermal power engineering, our role and mission are undergoing profound changes.” In the past, we might have focused more on the technological advancements of individual equipment such as turbines, boilers, and generators ； Now, we must adopt an overall strategic perspective on energy equipment; not only must we have a thorough understanding of the future development paths for various key pieces of equipment, but we also need to be skilled at efficiently integrating and systematizing these advanced devices in order to achieve a significant improvement in the overall performance of ‘next-generation coal-fired power plants’. ” “\"Flexibility + Cleanliness\" to Overcome Bottlenecks in the Transition from Coal Power Generation: With limited expectations for new coal power capacity additions during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, upgrading existing units has become the key approach for the coal power industry to meet the demands of a new type of power system and ensure its own sustainable development. This transformation is not only a deepening and upgrading of energy conservation and carbon reduction efforts during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, but also a crucial step for the coal power industry to move toward a new generation of flexible and efficient power generation technologies. “Currently, there is still a significant gap between existing coal-fired power units and the standards for ‘next-generation coal power’. ”Citing industry benchmarking data, Huang Jing stated that among the 300,000-kilowatt and 600,000-kilowatt subcritical and supercritical units subject to benchmarking in 2024, more than half failed to meet the third-level energy consumption limits regarding coal consumption for power generation; their capacity for deep peak shaving was generally insufficient, with the average increase in coal consumption per unit at 30% load reaching as much as 28%. To overcome this challenge, Dongfang Electric promotes \"systematic collaborative transformation\" by optimizing the main units, upgrading auxiliary equipment, and restructuring the entire plant’s system, thereby achieving \"deep peak shaving\" and \"efficient operation over a wide range of load levels.\" In terms of flexibility upgrades, the key is to address four major challenges: stable combustion at low loads, high efficiency at wide loads, compliance with environmental standards, and flexible coordination across the entire plant. On the boiler side, low-load stable combustion is achieved through burner modifications combined with economizer staging and bypass technology, while the denitration system operates at full capacity ； On the turbine side, efficient and safe regulation is achieved through wide-range optimization of the flow passage area and online monitoring of the final stage blades ； The fuel and coal grinding system are matched to ensure a stable combustion condition for the boiler at full load, by providing \"high-quality fuel\"” ； Promote the full-scale variable-frequency transformation of auxiliary equipment systems, enabling precise matching between fans, pumps and other devices and the load, thereby reducing the plant’s electricity consumption. “Through the aforementioned comprehensive coordinated upgrades, the unit’s load can be stabilized at below 20%, and the increase in coal consumption for supplying power at a 30% load level can be kept within 20%, achieving levels comparable to those of newly built units. ”Huang Jing explained to a reporter from China Energy News. In terms of clean carbon reduction, the coal power industry is exploring two approaches: structural optimization and technological upgrading. On the one hand, overall energy efficiency is improved by phasing out outdated small units and promoting ultra-supercritical units ； On the other hand, invest in carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies. Li Zhongcai revealed that China already possesses the technical capacity for CCUS at a scale of 200,000 tons per year, but it is necessary to address the issues of high efficiency losses and high costs. “For a 660,000-kilowatt power unit equipped with CCUS, an additional approximately 1.1 million kilowatts of renewable energy is needed, which increases costs by about 0.23 yuan per kilowatt-hour; thus large-scale adoption is difficult in the short term. However, pilot applications can be implemented in specific areas through policy incentives. ” Furthermore, the integration of coal power and new energy has become a new direction. For example, Dongfang Electric has implemented at the Guoneng Cangdong Power Plant an \"integrated\" operation model that combines 600,000-kilowatt coal-fired units as the base load with intermittent renewable energy sources such as distributed photovoltaic and wind power, while also introducing electrochemical energy storage systems; this approach enhances the overall energy efficiency of the power plant. Huang Jing said, “**The latest policies issued by the Energy Bureau encourage technologies such as coal-power coupled with molten salt heat storage and the use of green ammonia in combustion, providing policy support for the diversified development of coal power.**” ” Building an “ecosystem” for the sustainable development of coal-fired power generation: “The transformation of coal-fired power generation cannot rely solely on technological breakthroughs; it also requires the combined efforts of policy mechanisms and a favorable market environment.” ”Li Zhongcai emphasized that coal-fired power companies need to leverage mechanisms such as capacity-based pricing and auxiliary service markets to reflect their regulatory and safety values. The capacity-based tariff policy is a key support. In 2023, the **National Development and Reform Commission issued the \"Notice on Establishing a Capacity-Based Electricity Price Mechanism for Coal-fired Power\", stipulating that coal-fired power plants can recover their fixed costs through a capacity-based electricity price. Especially for coal-fired power units undergoing comprehensive upgrades, such as parameter adjustments, they should be entitled to capacity-based electricity prices during the upgrade period in order to reduce the investment burden on enterprises. Huang Jing did some calculations: upgrading a 300,000-kilowatt subcritical power unit to improve its efficiency requires an investment of around 350 million yuan. If a capacity-based electricity pricing policy is implemented during the upgrade period, it can significantly shorten the payback period for this investment. The electricity market mechanism needs further improvement. Currently, the spot markets in some provinces are experiencing \"zero electricity prices\" or even \"negative electricity prices\", with coal-fired power plants facing both severe losses and insufficient earnings during peak periods. Li Zhongcai suggested: “Establish a coordinated market system comprising a ‘electricity volume market + auxiliary services market + capacity market’, and reflect the regulatory value of coal-fired power through compensation for auxiliary services such as peak shaving, frequency regulation, and backup.” At the same time, efforts are being made to link medium- and long-term contracts with the spot market in order to stabilize enterprises’ revenue expectations. ” Huang Jing called for: “Efforts should be accelerated to establish standards for the next generation of coal-fired power technology, and a performance assessment system covering the entire life cycle should be developed, with particular attention paid to equipment safety and lifespan management.” ” Looking ahead to the 15th Five-Year Plan, Li Zhongcai believes that coal-fired power generation will follow a development path of \"capacity expansion while controlling output – a plateau phase – and gradual decline\": \"Before 2030, there will still be room for an increase in the installed capacity of coal-fired power plants, but their electricity generation volume will reach its peak\" ； After reaching the peak, it enters a plateau phase, with its regulatory capacity being released through flexible modifications ； In the long term, as the reliability of new energy sources improves, coal-fired power plants will gradually transform into backup power sources. ” Huang Jingze emphasized: \"The future of coal-fired power is not ‘withdrawal’, but ‘rebirth’; through technological upgrades and innovative models, it can become an indispensable ‘stabilizer’ in the new power system.\" ”