The China Electricity Council (CEC) has released a set of power carbon footprint factors covering 2023-2025, advancing the country's carbon footprint management system for the power sector.

The factors were unveiled at the 2026 New Power System Development Forum in Chongli, Hebei on September 22, according to China Electric Power News. They are intended to strengthen national standards, improve related platforms and databases, and provide a data foundation for corporate carbon accounting.

Under the guidance of government authorities, the CEC has conducted power carbon footprint research for three consecutive years, quantifying 11 factors covering national average power, thermal power, hydropower, nuclear power, new energy generation and transmission and distribution for 2023, 2024 and 2025.

The quantification work strictly follows international carbon footprint rules. Case selection considers geographic and type representation and key influencing factors, with measured values given top priority in data acquisition. In 2024, the national average power carbon footprint factor fell 6.9% from 2023, consistent with the power sector's clean and low-carbon transition.

The CEC has also expanded its factor categories to include pumped-storage hydropower and electrochemical energy storage. The 2023 and 2024 factors have been published globally by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the National Bureau of Statistics and the National Energy Administration, marking the steady establishment of a regular update mechanism for China's power carbon footprint factors.