By LI Linxu

In its latest moves to further integrate digital technologies and the real economy, China has released a series of guidelines to accelerate the digital and smart transformation of the energy sector.

The country aims to see breakthroughs by 2030 in a batch of common key technologies for digital and smart transformation of the energy sector, according to a policy released by the National Energy Administration (NEA).

The operation and management modes of energy systems are expected to undergo an accelerated transition towards comprehensive standardization, deep digitalization and highly intelligent, as per the policy.

The efficiency, reliability and inclusiveness of energy systems will also be steadily improved.

The two modules for core processes for an international liquefied natural gas (LNG) project are delivered in Qingdao, Shandong province, March 7, 2023, marking another achievement for China's LNG equipment construction. (PHOTO: XINHUA)

Energy is a basic infrastructure for economic and social development. The integrated development of digital technologies and energy industries has become an important driving force in modernizing China's energy industrial chains and propelling its energy sector's high-quality development, said NEA.

The policy emphasises that great efforts will be made to tackle the bottlenecks of intelligent perception and intelligent terminal technologies of energy equipment, smart control technologies of energy systems, and relevant cyber security technologies.

Key breakthrough targets include the R&D of specialized intelligent robots and drones for the energy sector, the utilization of AI-enabled technologies in energy equipment's condition identification, reliability assessment and failure diagnosis, and the integration of new-type communication technologies, perception technologies and energy equipment terminals.

Considerable efforts will also be dedicated to promoting the pilot application of such advanced technologies, improving relevant standards system, boosting the efficiency of computing power, and speeding up the cultivation of high calibre personnel.

A package of support measures will be rolled out later, such as preferential taxation, investment incentives, and effective intellectual property protection, so as to create a favorable environment for integrated innovation.

International cooperation is also highlighted in the policy, with a vow to establish an innovation ecosystem that promotes opening-up and sharing.