The China Europe freight train in Changsha doubled its freight volume in the first quarter

In the first quarter of 2026, there will be 321 China Europe freight trains arriving and departing from Changsha, with a year-on-year increase of 103.8%; The freight volume was 218700 tons, an increase of 141.2%. The import and export value of Hunan enterprises is 361 million US dollars, accounting for over 50%. Customs implements appointment clearance to ensure efficient inspection and release.Editor/Gao Xue

China Russia trade grows by 12% in January and February 2026

The bilateral trade volume between China and Russia in January and February 2026 was 39.045 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 12%; Among them, China's exports to Russia amounted to 20.87 billion US dollars, an increase of 22.7%; Imports from Russia amounted to 18.175 billion US dollars, an increase of 1.8%. Editor/Cheng Liting

China Kazakhstan's $125 million large order landed

At the Export to China SCO Choice Forum, Kazakh companies signed a $125 million agricultural export agreement with Chinese partners. Changsha Kaliev, the Minister of Trade of Kazakhstan, led a delegation to visit Shandong to deepen industrial and logistics cooperation. As the largest trading partner, the bilateral trade volume between China and Kazakhstan is expected to increase from 41 billion US dollars in 2023 to 48.7 billion US dollars in 2025, with Shandong's trade volume reaching 2.2 billion US dollars. Both sides are shifting from scale expansion to quality and efficiency improvement, with a focus on promoting the export of high value-added, non resource, and green technology products to ensure supply chain stability.Editor/Cheng Liting

China Electricity Council releases 2025 energy storage operation data

The China Electricity Council has released the "2025 Statistical Data of Electrochemical Energy Storage Power Station Industry". The report shows that in 2025, energy storage power stations experienced 1922 unplanned shutdowns throughout the year, with an average downtime of 34.62 hours per outage. The quality issues of key equipment, systems, and integrated installations in power plants are the main cause of unplanned shutdowns, accounting for over 75% of the total number of shutdowns. Specifically analyzing the reasons for shutdowns, the proportion of shutdowns caused by inverters (PCS) reached 32.21%, a significant increase of about 11 percentage points from 21.42% in 2024, becoming the primary cause; In contrast, the proportion of shutdowns caused by battery issues has decreased from 37.94% in 2024 to 22.89% in 2025.Editor/Yang Meiling

National Energy Administration releases 2026 standard project proposal guidelines

The National Energy Administration has officially issued the "Guidelines for the Establishment of Energy Industry Standard Plans in 2026". This guide aims to provide clear direction for the revision of energy industry standards. In the attached list of key directions for the 2026 Energy Industry Standard Plan, six professional directions have been identified, including power system safety and stability, new energy storage, and hydrogen energy. Among them, in the direction of new energy storage, the focus covers multiple sub fields such as electrochemical energy storage, compressed air energy storage, flywheel energy storage, energy storage equipment, and intelligent operation of new energy storage, providing a clear framework for standard setting work.Editor/Yang Meiling

Huaneng International invests 30.5 billion yuan in wind power in 2026

On March 25, 2026, Huaneng International released its 2025 annual report, which showed that the investment in new energy in 2026 was 37.7 billion yuan, of which wind power was 30.5 billion yuan, accounting for 80.9%, a year-on-year increase of 27.3%. Solar energy investment has dropped to 7.2 billion yuan. The company focuses on the layout of deep-sea offshore wind power and large-scale wind and solar power bases, with an installed capacity of 5880 megawatts of offshore wind power.Editor/Gao Xue

Construction machinery exports surge 33.4% at the beginning of 2026

In the first two months of 2026, the export of construction machinery reached US $10.69 billion, a sharp increase of 33.4%. Latin America and Africa became new engines of growth, and the the Belt and Road contributed significantly. Growth momentum switching: Electric loaders surged 112.7%, with high value-added products leading the way. Enterprises upgrade from selling products to building ecosystems: Zoomlion Hungary factory is established, and Shantui Co., Ltd. is deeply cultivating regional differentiation. More importantly, the industry is shifting from exporting individual products to collaborating with the entire industry chain to go global. By building deep barriers through localized factories and supporting services, China's construction machinery is accelerating towards a new stage of global manufacturing. Editor/Cheng Liting

New breakthroughs in scientific research in China

Recently, a joint research team consisting of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation 811 Institute and Nankai University announced that they have successfully developed a new type of hydrofluorocarbon electrolyte. This technology is expected to significantly improve the energy density and extreme low temperature adaptability of lithium batteries. The team has overcome technical challenges such as the inability of fluorine to dissolve lithium salts and synthesized a new electrolyte solvent containing monofluorinated alkanes.Editor/Yang Meiling

Morocco NOOR Atlas Photovoltaic Project Fully Launched

The Moroccan National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water and the Sustainable Energy Agency have officially signed a power purchase agreement for the NOOR Atlas project and started construction. The total installed capacity of the project is about 305 megawatts, covering six photovoltaic power stations in the east, southeast, and south. It adopts the EPC mode and is constructed by the MoU Enterprise Consortium, with MASEN responsible for operation and maintenance. The project integrates preferential loans from the German Renaissance Credit Bank, the European Investment Bank, and commercial loans from the Moroccan African Bank, and is planned to be connected to the grid starting from July 2027. After being put into operation, it will significantly increase the proportion of renewable energy in Morocco, strongly support the national strategic goal of achieving 52% renewable energy installed capacity by 2030, and drive the regional green economy transformation.Editor/Cheng Liting

Tarim River launches 27th downstream ecological water transfer

On March 22, 2026, the Tarim River, the longest inland river in China, launched the first phase of the 27th ecological water transfer downstream. It is reported that the spring water supply launched this time will last for 15 days, with a discharge of 20 million cubic meters, accurately matching the critical period of spring vegetation germination and providing timely water support for vegetation growth. The second phase of high flow water transportation is expected to start during the flood season in August this year. Editor/Cheng Liting

By 2025, China's unconventional water use will exceed 25 billion cubic meters

On March 22, 2026, the 2026 Water saving China Tour themed promotional event was held in Hefei, Anhui Province. It is reported that by 2025, the water consumption per 10000 yuan of GDP and industrial added value in China will decrease by more than 20% and 25% respectively compared to 2020. The irrigation water utilization coefficient for farmland will increase from 0.565 to 0.583, and the utilization of unconventional water will exceed 25 billion cubic meters. Editor/Cheng Liting

The first ammonia fuel ship main engine in China has been handed over for inspection

On March 16, 2026, the first ammonia fuel low-speed engine of CSSC Engine was successfully delivered for inspection, filling the gap in domestic zero carbon ship power and will be installed on a 210000 ton bulk carrier.Editor/Gao Xue

Expand cross-border trade facilitation pilot to 45 cities by 2026

On March 16, 2026, the General Administration of Customs, together with 24 departments including the Cyberspace Administration of China and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, jointly deployed a six-month special action plan for cross-border trade facilitation in 2026. Sun Meijun, Director General of the General Administration of Customs, pointed out at the deployment meeting that this year's special action pilot cities will further expand their encirclement and capacity, adding 20 cities including Hohhot, Changchun, Suzhou, Jinhua, Quanzhou, Nanchang, Yantai, Wuhan, Changsha, Zhuhai, Nanning, Kunming, and Xi'an, bringing the total number of participating cities to 45. The action focuses on key tasks such as optimizing and upgrading goods trade, vigorously developing service trade, and innovating the development of digital trade and green trade. It has launched a new round of policies to assist enterprises, including deepening the innovation of import and export customs clearance supervision mode, optimizing the supervision and services of new foreign trade formats, improving cross-border logistics transportation efficiency, and strengthening the construction of smart export ports. Editor/Cheng Liting

Minhang District in Shanghai is vigorously promoting the future energy industry

Minhang District in Shanghai recently issued an action plan, which clearly states that it will work together to build an advanced energy equipment industry cluster in Shanghai. The plan focuses on cultivating four future energy industries: fusion energy, hydrogen based energy, long-term energy storage, and new green technologies. In order to integrate major national engineering construction, we will focus on strategic tasks such as East West computing, new power systems, and national offshore wind power bases, and promote local enterprises to deeply participate in scenarios such as source grid load storage coordinated scheduling and high proportion renewable energy consumption. We will provide high reliability and high adaptability complete equipment solutions to enhance the ability of Chinese equipment enterprises to participate in major national projects. At the same time, the plan also supports local advantageous enterprises to layout overseas energy storage projects.Editor/Yang Meiling

Shandong China Europe freight train accelerates and improves efficiency

The timetable of the Shandong China Europe freight train has reduced its operating efficiency by 30%, and the two major gathering centers in Jinan and Qingdao have become effective. Shandong has set an annual target of operating 2000 trains, building a three-dimensional open channel connecting Japan and South Korea to the east and Europe and Asia to the west, and helping the inland hinterland become an open frontier.Editor/Gao Xue

Shandong promotes a new energy storage model for transportation scenarios

Recently, the Department of Transportation of Shandong Province issued special implementation measures to promote the stable growth of the automotive industry from 2025 to 2026. The document clearly proposes to accelerate the construction of integrated facilities for photovoltaics, energy storage, and charging (swapping), and promote the on-site direct charging mode of green electricity for new energy vehicles.Editor/Yang Meiling

Ambassador Lv Jian meets with Deputy Minister of Commerce and Industry of Oman, Galib

On March 10, 2026, Ambassador Lv Jian met with the Deputy Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment of Oman, Ghalib, to exchange views on practical cooperation in trade and investment between China and Oman.Editor/Yang Meiling

Coal rock gas field with an annual output of 4 billion cubic meters

The annual production capacity of China's largest coal and rock gas field, PetroChina Daji Gas Field, has exceeded 4 billion cubic meters, accounting for more than three-quarters of the country's total coal and rock gas production. The gas field is located in the southwest of Shanxi Province. Since the beginning of this year, PetroChina Coalbed Methane Company has drilled 16 new wells, with a new production capacity of 250 million cubic meters and a daily gas production exceeding 11 million cubic meters.Editor/Gao Xue

Qinghai introduces new policies to support independent bidding for solar thermal projects

In order to promote the large-scale development of solar thermal power generation, the People's Government of Qinghai Province recently issued the "Several Measures for Promoting the Scale Development of Solar Thermal Power Generation in Qinghai Province". The document proposes to support incremental independent solar thermal projects included in the development and construction plan to independently conduct mechanism electricity price bidding one year before the prescribed completion deadline. The policy will comprehensively consider factors such as the comprehensive income of enterprises and the value of green electricity to set a reasonable upper limit for bidding, and set a lower limit for bidding based on the principle of not being lower than the project cost, with a starting lower limit of 0.55 yuan/kWh. The lower limit will moderately decrease year by year, with the goal of achieving comparable prices to coal-fired power by 2030.Editor/Yang Meiling

Gansu Zhangye launches energy storage battery separator project

Recently, Zhangye City in Gansu Province publicly released an investment notice for the "Zhangye Economic Development Zone Energy Storage Battery Diaphragm Project", promoting the investment opportunities of this energy storage battery separator industry project to the outside world. It is reported that the project plans to construct 2 to 6 ultra wide high-speed diaphragm production lines, 7 to 21 coating production lines, and corresponding supporting facilities. The total investment estimate for the project is about 3 billion yuan, and the expected annual output value after completion is 3.5 billion yuan. The project construction site is located in the Circular Economy Demonstration Park of Zhangye Economic Development Zone, and the investment contact unit is the Development and Reform Commission of Zhangye City.Editor/Yang Meiling

State Grid Gansu releases its 15th Five Year Plan for the power grid

At the press conference on March 2, 2026, State Grid Gansu Electric Power Company announced the latest progress of the 15th Five Year Plan as a pioneer of the power grid. It is reported that Gansu ranks first in the northwest in terms of approved construction scale in the field of pumped storage, and four projects have entered the main construction phase. Of particular note is that the installed capacity of new energy storage in Gansu Province has exceeded 7.9 million kilowatts in the first year of the 15th Five Year Plan.Editor/Yang Meiling

US Israel attack on Iran triggers shipping interruption

On the evening of February 28th local time, the attack by the United States and Israel on Iran caused a sudden halt to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, and multiple super tankers heading to the Persian Gulf had their routes interrupted. Professor Wan Zhe from Beijing Normal University pointed out that geopolitical risks are the core driving force behind the short-term surge in oil prices. From a long-term perspective, the ongoing conflicts in recent years have continuously exposed the fragility of the global energy supply chain. According to expert analysis, this situation may prompt countries to further strengthen their energy independence strategies, accelerate their layout in areas such as grid independence, distributed energy, and hydrogen energy, and thus promote the overall process of global energy transformation in complex changes.Editor/Yang Meiling

The spot price of lithium carbonate plummeted by 6.67% in a single day

On March 3rd, the average spot price of battery grade lithium carbonate experienced a cliff like decline, with a single ton quotation dropping by 11500 yuan to 161000 yuan/ton, a daily decrease of 6.67%. Affected by this, the stock prices of related lithium mining listed companies collectively fell, with Ganfeng Lithium's stock price dropping by more than 10% and Tianqi Lithium's stock price dropping by more than 8%.Editor/Yang Meiling

Shenzhen releases list of major projects for 2026

The Shenzhen Development and Reform Commission released the "List of Major Projects in Shenzhen for 2026" on February 28. The list involves 832 major projects with a total investment of approximately 3.2 trillion yuan, and the planned investment for 2026 is approximately 309.1 billion yuan. The project unit includes multiple energy storage related enterprises, such as BYD, Coaster New Energy, etc. In the field of energy storage, the list clearly includes an independent energy storage power station project with a scale of 200MW/400MWh, as well as multiple energy storage industrialization and research and development projects.Editor/Yang Meiling

Beijing 2026 Key Project Plan Released

Beijing recently issued the "Beijing 2026 Key Project Plan", which will implement "3 100" key projects in 2026, covering the fields of scientific and technological innovation, infrastructure, and people's livelihood improvement. In the announced project list, multiple large-scale electrochemical energy storage bases are listed as key construction tasks. These projects aim to enhance the power grid regulation and emergency support capabilities, and support the transformation and safe operation of Beijing's energy structure.Editor/Yang Meiling

Draft Outline of the 15th Five Year Plan and Government Work Repor

On February 28, 2026, the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held a meeting to review the draft outline of the 15th Five Year Plan and the annual government work report, in preparation for the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. The meeting made arrangements around high-quality development, livelihood security, reform and opening up, and security and stability, clarifying the overall ideas and key tasks for the next stage of economic and social development, and releasing strong signals of stable expectations and boosting confidence.Editor/Bian Wenjun

Inner Mongolia announces first batch of compensation list for independent energy storage

On February 25, 2026, Inner Mongolia Energy Bureau announced a list of independent new energy storage power stations that meet compensation standards. A total of 31 power stations were selected, with a total scale of 10.17 gigawatts/42.96 gigawatt hours. The largest of these is the Bayannur Hetao New Energy Storage Special Action Project, reaching 1 gigawatt/4 gigawatt hours. From the perspective of investment entities, Haibosichuang leads with a total participation scale of 1.4 gigawatts/7.4 gigawatt hours, while Yuanjing Energy closely follows with four projects totaling 1.7 gigawatts/6.8 gigawatt hours. The list also includes projects participated by multiple companies such as Xingchen New Energy, Ganfeng, and Ningde Times.Editor/Yang Meiling

Three Gorges International's overseas installed capacity exceeds 19.7 million kilowatts

According to data from February 2026, Three Gorges International, as the main platform for Three Gorges Group's overseas clean energy investment, had a total asset value of approximately 120 billion yuan by the end of 2024. Its business covers 12 countries and regions in Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas, with a total installed power generation capacity of over 19.7 million kilowatts. All 90 of its holding power stations are clean energy, producing over 35.7 billion kilowatt hours of clean electricity in 2024. The company has five regional companies, namely Three Gorges South Asia, Europe, Brazil, Latin America, and Asia Africa. In 2021, it introduced international investment to achieve equity diversification and is currently accelerating its global clean energy layout.Editor/Gao Xue

China National Offshore Oil Corporation invests 120 billion yuan to explore blue energy

In February 2026, China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) released its annual capital expenditure plan, with a total amount of 120 billion yuan, and for the first time, it explicitly stated that 30% would be invested in the new energy sector. About 84 billion yuan will be used for offshore oil and gas exploration and development to solidify the foundation of energy security; 36 billion yuan is being invested in green and low-carbon businesses such as offshore wind power, green electricity, green hydrogen, and CCUS. The company has simultaneously established new energy companies in Shanwei, Guangdong, Yancheng, Jiangsu and other places, and linked 18 MW ultra large wind turbine technology with Yuanjing Energy to accelerate the development of deep-sea offshore wind power. This is the first time that traditional oil and gas central enterprises have explicitly stated the proportion of new energy investment in their annual budget, marking the comprehensive implementation of the dual wheel drive strategy.Editor/Gao Xue

Guangzhou's Zengcheng Now Accepting Bids for First Batch of 2026 Energy Storage Stations

The Development and Reform Bureau of Zengcheng District, Guangzhou recently issued a notice to organize the application for the construction plan of the first batch of new energy storage power station projects in 2026. According to the requirements, new energy storage projects on the power supply and grid sides need to be included in the provincial construction plan before they can be connected to the grid. The application adopts a rolling plan approach, aiming to promote the construction of regional energy storage facilities in an orderly manner, support the peak shaving of the power grid and the demand for new energy consumption.Editor/Yang Meiling