On June 30, the 2026 Work Conference on the Development of Credit System in the Power Industry, hosted by the China Electricity Council (CEC), was held in Beijing. Centered on the theme Fully Promote Credit Application and Foster Integrity Ethos in the Power Sector, the conference was held at the crucial starting point of the 15th Five-Year Plan period. It systematically reviewed phased achievements in the development of the power industry credit system in recent years, officially released the annual monitoring results of the Credit Power Index, the Guidelines and Cases on the Development of China’s Power Credit System, and launched the 7th (2026) "Credit Power" Knowledge Contest. It also comprehensively arranged key tasks for advancing the high-quality development of the power industry credit system in the next stage.

Yang Kun, CEC Party Secretary, Executive Vice Chairman and Leader of the Leading Group for the Development of the Power Industry Credit System, and Chen Jing, Deputy Director of the Electric Power Qualification Administration Center under the National Energy Administration (NEA), attended the conference and delivered addresses. Hao Yingjie, CEC Deputy Party Secretary and Secretary-General, delivered the work report. More than 260 participants were present, including relevant officials from the National Energy Administration, State Administration for Market Regulation and the People’s Bank of China; the CEC Chairman and representatives of vice-chairman member entities; experts and scholars engaged in power credit research; representatives of national power grid enterprises, power generation companies, power engineering firms, power equipment manufacturers, local power industry associations and professional credit service institutions.

In his address, Yang Kun fully reviewed achievements in developing the power industry credit system and deployed work for its high-quality development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. He stressed that the power sector should prioritize expanding credit application scenarios in the electricity market, unify standards for credit information recognition in bidding and tendering, innovate the "Credit + Financing" model, expand cross-border power credit services, build a professional credit talent pool, and cultivate integrity culture within the industry. Taking the expansion of credit application scenarios as the main line and fostering industry integrity ethos as the foundation, continuous efforts shall be made to deepen the development of the power credit system and contribute greater strength to building a country strong in energy.

Chen Jing briefed attendees on the top-level design and outcomes of credit work in the energy (power) sector advanced by the NEA since the official implementation of the Energy Law of the People’s Republic of China, and fully affirmed the work achievements of CEC in promoting the power industry credit system. She expressed the hope that CEC would continue to conduct in-depth research on power industry credit institutions and standard systems, and push forward the practical application of credit evaluation. It should guide enterprises in the sector to strengthen internal management and self-regulation, operate in compliance with laws and with integrity, timely summarize innovative practices, nurture integrity culture with persistent efforts, and continuously optimize the business environment in the power sector.

Hao Yingjie delivered a work report titled Fully Promote Credit Application and Foster Integrity Ethos in the Power Sector — Striving to Write a New Chapter for High-quality Development of the Power Industry Credit System. He comprehensively summarized achievements and experience gained in building the power industry credit system during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. The report proposed that the development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period will follow the main line of fully promoting credit application and fostering integrity ethos in the power industry. By 2030, a credit system featuring sound institutions, smooth data circulation, extensive application, targeted incentives and sanctions, and a strong integrity culture will be established. Mutual recognition and application of credit evaluation results will be realized in the power market, green certificate trading and carbon market, making integrity the most distinctive hallmark of the power industry.

In the keynote speech session, Han Jiaping, former Director of the Institute of Credit and E-commerce Research at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation and senior credit management researcher, shared in-depth insights on trends and countermeasures for credit development in the 15th Five-Year Plan period, putting forward forward-looking and operable implementation approaches and supporting measures tailored to industry realities. Representatives of member entities of the CEC Credit Leading Group shared innovative practices on digital technology empowering credit management, whole-chain governance against credit breaches, cross-border credit cooperation, and risk prevention and control for market entities. Relevant officials from the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) Trade Promotion Center delivered special sharing on credit empowering the international development of the power industrial chain.

During the thematic exchange session, representatives from State Grid Corporation of China, China Southern Power Grid, China Datang Corporation, State Power Investment Corporation, China Anneng Group, Inner Mongolia Power Group, local power generation enterprises, CCPIT and the CEC Credit Office exchanged experience. They shared practical solutions on frontier topics including rectification of dishonest conduct, leveraging credit data to recover electricity charges, full-process internal credit control of enterprises, and tapping the credit value of green power, providing diverse practical references for participating enterprises.

At the conference, the CEC Science and Technology Service Center released the overall monitoring results of the 2025 Credit Power Index, comprehensively disclosing the credit operation status of various types of power market entities across different regions nationwide, sectors with prominent credit risks, and index variation characteristics. The release provides authoritative data support for industry credit research and corporate operation decision-making. Meanwhile, the launching ceremony of the new book Guidelines and Cases on the Development of China’s Power Credit System was held. As a systematic reference book for credit development in the power sector, the publication helps all entities accurately grasp policy requirements for credit development, standardize credit management practices, and boost mutual learning and coordinated improvement among industrial enterprises.

A launching ceremony for the 7th (2026) "Credit Power" Knowledge Contest themed Uphold Commitments, Develop Power Industry with Integrity was held on site. Open to all industrial market participants including power generators, power grid operators, power construction enterprises, equipment suppliers and electricity retailers, the contest disseminates professional knowledge covering credit laws and regulations, industrial credit management norms, credit incentives and sanctions, and digitalized credit reporting. It encourages learning through competitions and promotes practice via learning to consolidate the foundation of integrity culture across the whole industry.

A special exhibition showcasing achievements in developing the power industry credit system ran concurrently with the conference. It displayed innovative outcomes from benchmark industrial entities in constructing digital credit reporting platforms, intelligent control of credit risks, international commercial credit certification, and cultivation of corporate integrity culture for on-site observation and exchange among participants.

The conference built a communication and coordination platform linking government regulators, industrial associations, power market entities, researchers and experts. It further clarified the implementation roadmap for developing the power industry credit system during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, and advanced the in-depth integration of credit development into the whole industrial chain covering power production, market transactions, engineering construction and overseas businesses. High-quality credit system development will bolster the development of an energy powerhouse and deliver solid credit support from the power sector for Chinese modernization.