The National Development and Reform Commission, the National Energy Administration, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs on...

Notice on Organizing and Implementing the “Thousand Towns and Ten Thousand Villages Wind Power Initiative”

National Development and Reform Commission Energy [2024] No. 378

The Development and Reform Commissions, Energy Bureaus, and Departments (Bureaus, Commissions) of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (Agriculture and Pastoral Affairs) of all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the central government, and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps; all branch offices of the National Energy Administration; State Grid Corporation of China, China Southern Power Grid Co., Ltd., and Inner Mongolia Electric Power Group Co., Ltd.:

  China’s rural areas are rich in wind energy resources and widely distributed. Fully leveraging scattered land resources in rural areas and promoting the local, on-site development and utilization of wind power tailored to local conditions are of great significance for strengthening village collective economies, boosting rural revitalization, facilitating a green and low-carbon energy transition in rural areas, and achieving carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals. To implement the spirit of the “Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Learning from and Effectively Applying the Experience of the ‘Thousand Villages Demonstration, Ten Thousand Villages Improvement’ Project to Vigorously Promote All-round Rural Revitalization” and to carry out the “14th Five-Year Plan for Renewable Energy Development,” we hereby issue the following notice regarding the organization of the “Thousand Towns and Ten Thousand Villages Wind Power Initiative.”

  I. General Requirements

  (1) Guiding Ideology

  Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, we will fully implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, deeply advance the new energy security strategy of “Four Revolutions and One Cooperation,” and firmly commit to achieving the goals of peaking carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality. We will launch the “Thousand Towns and Ten Thousand Villages Harnessing Wind Power” initiative, promoting the local and nearby development and utilization of wind power in rural areas. We will innovate development and utilization scenarios, investment and construction models, and benefit-sharing mechanisms, thereby turning wind power into a new driving force for the rural energy revolution and a fresh impetus for rural revitalization. This will provide strong support for the green and low-carbon transformation of rural energy and for building beautiful, livable, and work-friendly villages.

  (2) Basic Principles

  Adapt to local conditions and adopt integrated planning. Based on the wind energy resources and scattered, underutilized land resources in rural areas across different regions, we should coordinate economic and social development, ecological conservation, grid capacity, and production and operational safety. We should rationally determine the scale, projects, and layout for on-site and nearby wind power development and utilization—building where feasible, starting with pilot programs, and implementing each project as conditions become ripe. We must avoid rushing into large-scale development all at once or engaging in a mad scramble to jump on the bandwagon.

  Village-enterprise cooperation benefits and serves the people. In conjunction with the development of village-level collective economies, we will adopt a village-based approach, with village-enterprise cooperation as the primary model and profit-sharing as the goal. This will fully mobilize the enthusiasm of both village collectives and investing enterprises, fully respect farmers’ wishes, and effectively safeguard farmers’ interests, ensuring that wind power development brings greater benefits to rural communities and farmers, and empowers rural revitalization.

  Prioritize ecology and promote integrated development. On the premise of complying with land-use and environmental protection policies, we will foster the organic integration of wind power development with rural landscapes. We encourage the adoption of wind turbine units and technologies that are suitable for rural environments—such as space-saving, low-noise, high-efficiency, and intelligent systems—to achieve synergistic complementarity with rural energy sources and deep integration with rural industries.

  (3) Main Objectives

  During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, in rural areas of counties (cities, districts, and banners) that meet the necessary conditions, a number of wind power projects will be developed and utilized locally, with each village serving as the unit of implementation. In principle, the capacity of each administrative village should not exceed 20 megawatts. We will explore and establish a new model for wind power investment and construction based on “village-enterprise cooperation” and a new mechanism for benefit-sharing characterized by “joint construction and shared benefits,” thereby promoting the creation of a new pattern of wind power development and utilization—“wind power in villages, increased collective income, and tangible benefits for villagers.”

  II. Organization and Implementation

  (1) Each provincial energy authority, in collaboration with the departments of agriculture and rural affairs, grid enterprises, and other relevant entities, shall, based on local conditions, develop a comprehensive plan for the “Thousand Towns and Ten Thousand Villages Wind Power Initiative” in their respective provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government). The plan shall clearly specify the scale of development and utilization, key areas for priority development, ecological and environmental protection requirements, and related supporting measures. Pilot programs should be launched first in administrative villages within the province (autonomous region or municipality directly under the central government) that meet the necessary conditions, and the initiative should be gradually rolled out nationwide as appropriate, based on the outcomes of these pilot programs.

  (2) Each city shall, based on the provincial overall plan, prepare detailed implementation plans at the county (city, district, or banner) level, clearly specifying such aspects as project site layout, installed capacity, construction schedules, land use, ecological and environmental protection measures, and benefit-sharing mechanisms. Under the organization of provincial energy and other relevant departments, these plans shall be implemented in an orderly manner.

  (3) Grid enterprises shall cooperate with energy authorities at all levels to prepare the overall and implementation plans for the “Thousand Towns and Ten Thousand Villages Wind Power Initiative,” and ensure smooth grid connection and integration of wind power projects. In light of the needs of each county (city, district, banner), they should actively carry out upgrades and renovations of rural power grids as well as the construction of supporting grid infrastructure, thereby ensuring that all eligible wind power projects are connected to the grid to the greatest extent possible. Furthermore, grid enterprises should strengthen technical management of grid-connected safety for wind turbine units, ensuring that these units meet the necessary conditions for safe grid operation.

  (4) All types of investors and relevant village collectives shall establish a cooperative mechanism characterized by clear property rights, shared responsibilities, and mutual benefit under the “village-enterprise cooperation” model. Together, they will participate in the development, construction, and operation of wind power projects, strengthen operations, maintenance, and repair management, and ensure the stable and reliable operation of equipment as well as the safety of project production. The distribution of project revenues shall be promptly reported to the county-level agricultural and rural affairs authorities.

  (5) The county-level departments of agriculture and rural affairs shall promptly understand and keep track of the implementation status of benefit-sharing for wind power projects already included in the “Thousand Towns and Ten Thousand Villages Wind Power Initiative,” and coordinate efforts to leverage the benefits generated by these projects in strengthening village collective economies and supporting rural revitalization.

  (6) Wind equipment manufacturers should strengthen technological innovation and actively develop wind turbine units suitable for rural environments, providing equipment support for the “Thousand Towns and Ten Thousand Villages Harnessing Wind” initiative.

  III. Policy Support

  (1) Optimize the approval procedures. Localities are encouraged to explore and pilot a filing system for wind power projects under the “Thousand Towns and Ten Thousand Villages Wind Power Initiative,” providing “one-stop” services tailored to local conditions. For projects jointly developed by multiple villages within the same administrative village or neighboring villages, preliminary procedures can be handled in a unified manner. For projects that do not involve sensitive areas such as water and soil conservation, environmental protection, vegetation restoration, or underlying mineral resources, the investment entity, together with the village collective, may submit a commitment, and the relevant competent authorities may issue a supporting opinion, enabling the relevant procedures to be expedited in accordance with the law.

  (2) Handle land-use procedures in accordance with the law. Provided that the projects comply with land and spatial planning and do not involve permanent basic farmland, ecological protection redlines, nature reserves, or national protected areas for sand-fixation and desertification control, fully utilize scattered non-cultivated land in rural areas and handle land-use procedures for the “Thousand Towns and Ten Thousand Villages Wind Power Initiative” in strict compliance with laws and regulations. For land use that does not occupy cultivated land, does not alter land surface morphology, and does not change land use purposes, explore obtaining such land through leasing or other appropriate means. If it is indeed necessary to occupy cultivated land, land-use procedures must be handled in strict accordance with laws and regulations. We encourage the promotion of land-saving technologies and models that require small land footprints, do not alter land surface morphology, and do not damage the arable soil layer, thereby promoting the efficient and intensive use of land.

  (3) Guarantee grid connection and consumption. Wind power projects under the “Thousand Towns and Ten Thousand Villages Harnessing Wind Power” initiative will be guaranteed grid connection by grid enterprises, with priority given to local consumption. The on-grid electricity price will be determined in accordance with the new energy on-grid pricing policy applicable in the year of grid connection. Participation in market-based transactions is encouraged; however, electricity volumes traded in the market will not be subject to allocation of ancillary service costs.

  (4) Encourage innovation in business models. Encourage, in accordance with the law and through methods such as contributing land-use rights as equity, the sharing of revenues from wind power projects under the “Thousand Towns and Ten Thousand Villages Wind Power Initiative,” and explore new models of rural energy cooperation. Encourage the integration of wind power with other clean energy sources, such as distributed photovoltaics, to create comprehensive multi-energy complementary systems in rural areas. For projects that demonstrate significant implementation results, consider including them promptly in pilot programs for renewable energy development, such as demonstration projects for microgrids powered by new energy sources in villages and towns.

  (5) Strengthen financial support. Implement green finance and rural revitalization financial policies, innovate investment and financing approaches, and further intensify support for wind power projects under the “Thousand Towns and Ten Thousand Villages Wind Power Initiative” in terms of financing and lending.

  IV. Guarantee Measures

  (1) Strengthen organizational leadership. All localities must fully recognize the significance of implementing the “Thousand Towns and Ten Thousand Villages Wind Power Initiative” in promoting the rural energy revolution and supporting rural revitalization. They should effectively harness the economic, social, and environmental benefits of rural wind power, engage in scientific planning and careful organization, and actively yet prudently and orderly carry out the initiative while ensuring safety, quality, environmental protection, and high-level consumption.

  (2) Improve market mechanisms. Fully leverage the decisive role of the market in allocating resources and enhance the role of the government. We must refrain from imposing unreasonable investment costs under the guise of supporting industries or disguised collection of resource fees, and actively foster a fair, open, and just environment. We encourage and support private enterprises and private capital to actively participate in the “Thousand Towns and Ten Thousand Villages Wind Power Initiative.”

  (3) Protect the ecological environment. The “Thousand Towns and Ten Thousand Villages Wind Power Initiative” wind power projects shall conduct environmental impact assessments in accordance with the law. On the basis of meeting general technical standards for wind power and ecological protection requirements, special attention will be paid to the potential impacts of these projects on local production, daily life, and the ecological environment. Low-noise wind turbine units will be adopted, safety protection requirements will be enhanced, and bird migration routes, flocking areas, and habitats will be avoided. Proper disposal and management of solid waste generated after decommissioning of wind power facilities will also be ensured. Furthermore, efforts will be made to integrate wind power facilities harmoniously into the rural landscape, thereby contributing to the development of livable, work-friendly, and beautiful villages.

  (4) Strengthen monitoring and regulation. By the end of December each year, the energy authorities at the provincial level shall submit reports on the implementation of the “Thousand Towns and Ten Thousand Villages Wind Power Initiative” to the National Energy Administration and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, with a copy sent to the relevant branch offices of the National Energy Administration. Specific project details shall also be copied to the National Renewable Energy Information Management Center for registration and record-keeping. The energy authorities at the provincial level, the agricultural and rural affairs departments, and the branch offices of the National Energy Administration shall intensify project oversight, enhance information disclosure, fully leverage the role of social supervision, and effectively safeguard the legitimate and reasonable rights and interests of all parties involved.

National Development and Reform Commission

National Energy Administration

Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs

March 25, 2024