Energy conservation in China’s Twelfth Five-Year Plan period: Continuation or paradigm shift?

The release of the Twelfth Five-Year Guideline for National Economic and Social Development in March 2011 marked the beginning of China’s Twelfth Five-Year Plan (12th FYP) period (2011–2015). Energy conservation continues to be a national priority. Since the release, new energy conservation policies and programs have been announced by many central ministries in accordance with the 12th FYP. Is this the beginning of a new paradigm or merely a continuation of the 11th FYP model? This paper describes and analyzes key changes in energy conservation since 2011, including a more conservative national energy conservation target, a more logical way of breaking down the target, new sectoral targets, the introduction of new programs, and the expansion of existing programs. However, one key problem of the 11th FYP period remains unresolved, namely the inability to shift the economy away from heavy industry.