Since the "14th Five-Year Plan", the Chinese government has attached great importance to the development of new energy storage industry, and has issued policy documents such as the "Guiding Opinions on Accelerating the development of New energy storage" and the "14th Five-Year Plan" Implementation Plan for New energy storage Development, providing new development opportunities and driving forces for China's new energy storage industry. By the end of 2023, the cumulative installed capacity of new energy storage projects has reached 31.39GW/66.87GWh, and the average energy storage time is 2.1 hours. In 2023, 22.60GW/48.70GWh will be added, an increase of more than 260% from the end of 2022.

Liu Huaiping, a deputy to the National People's Congress, chairman of Jiangsu Kunlun Interconnection Technology Co., LTD., and vice president of the China Environmental Protection Industry Association, introduced that the steel industry as an important pillar of China's national economy, its energy consumption accounts for about 11% of the total energy consumption in the country. In the process of iron and steel manufacturing, the blast-converter long process occupies a dominant position, making the energy structure highly carbonized, with the total purchased energy of coal and coke accounting for 90% and electricity accounting for about 6%.

"New energy storage has the advantages of fast response, flexible location, short construction period, and so on. Vigorously developing a new energy storage infrastructure characterized by 'short, flat and fast' in the steel industry will help steel enterprises achieve green transformation, improve economic efficiency, and ensure the reliability of power supply for steel enterprises." To this end, Liu Huaiping put forward the following suggestions:

First, we need to strengthen the guiding role of policies. Increase financial support for the construction of new energy storage projects for steel enterprises, reduce enterprise investment costs, and ensure the smooth implementation of new energy storage projects. Explore the development of diversified business models, such as contract energy management, financial leasing + contract energy management, enterprise self-investment and leasing, to meet the actual needs of various enterprises. Promote the application of strategies such as virtual power plants and demand management, improve the profitability of energy storage projects of steel enterprises, and help the steady development of the market.

Second, the construction of energy storage demonstration projects. Encourage qualified steel industry leaders to take the lead, build new energy storage infrastructure at a high level, according to the characteristics and needs of the steel industry, select appropriate new energy storage technology, such as electrochemical energy storage, thermal energy storage, compressed air energy storage, etc., to ensure that the adopted technology can effectively improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. Vigorously promote the popularization and application of multiple complementary models of clean energy such as "photovoltaic + energy storage" and "wind power + energy storage" in the steel industry, and drive more enterprises to follow the construction of new energy storage infrastructure.

Third, promote the digital operation and maintenance of energy storage. In the process of building new energy storage infrastructure, iron and steel enterprises should actively promote the application of digital intelligent operation and maintenance, optimize business processes with advanced technologies, establish energy systems, achieve lean management and energy saving and carbon reduction, and help the government make scientific decisions at the level of energy planning and policy formulation. In addition, digital intelligent operation and maintenance also helps to promote information sharing and collaborative cooperation between steel enterprises, the government and other enterprises, and promote the optimization and upgrading of the whole industrial chain.

Fourth, we need to strengthen cross-departmental coordination. Establish a cross-departmental collaboration mechanism to jointly promote the application and promotion of new energy storage infrastructure in the steel industry. Research and formulate special supporting policies for the development of new energy storage applications in the steel industry, including the establishment of special funds for the development of energy storage industry, to support new energy storage projects, to compensate for energy storage projects in operation, to promote technological innovation and industrial upgrading of the energy storage industry, to expand the difference between peak and valley electricity prices, and to include energy storage in the auxiliary service market and the spot market. Further expand the energy storage income space of steel enterprises. Promote the standardization and standardization of new energy storage technology, formulate unified energy storage technology standards and specifications for the steel industry, and provide better technical support for steel enterprises.