To fully implement the spirit of the 15th Nanjing Municipal Party Congress, seize the major strategic opportunities presented by the new round of the energy revolution, accelerate the restructuring and upgrading of the industrial foundation, the upgrading of industrial chains, and the comprehensive adoption of smart and green technologies, we will focus our efforts on building a pilot demonstration zone for a world-class smart grid industrial cluster driven by digital technology and centered on new energy. This initiative aims to establish a Nanjing model for modern grid construction and fully promote the smart grid as a cornerstone supporting the development of a model city of socialist modernization.

I. Development Goals

By 2025, the city’s smart grid industry scale will reach 500 billion yuan. Key sectors of the industry will advance from “leading domestically” to “leading globally,” with quality, efficiency, and comprehensive competitiveness reaching new heights. The spatial layout of the industry will continue to optimize, creating a powerful magnet for the accelerated aggregation of top talent and industry giants. We will make every effort to build a world-class smart grid industrial cluster, positioning it as a key platform capable of representing China in leading the global transformation of the smart grid industry.

Innovation capabilities will be significantly enhanced. We will establish 30 enterprise technology centers at the provincial level or above, formulate 3,500 international and domestic standards, secure a cumulative total of 20,000 patents, and employ over 50,000 research personnel. We will achieve breakthroughs in a range of cutting-edge and key generic technologies, with core technologies such as flexible DC transmission and ultra-high voltage reaching internationally advanced levels. The localization rate for key equipment will reach 90%, establishing the city as a globally influential source of smart grid innovation.

The cluster’s competitive advantages are fully demonstrated. The region has cultivated one enterprise with smart grid business revenue exceeding 50 billion yuan and five enterprises exceeding 10 billion yuan. It boasts 10 national-level “Specialized, Refined, Unique, and Innovative” (SRUI) “Little Giants” and single-champion enterprises, and has fostered a group of leading “chain-leading” enterprises and high-tech firms with ecosystem dominance, with the number of enterprises above designated size reaching 700. A spatial development pattern of “One Valley, Two Zones, and Three Poles” has been formed, with the industry accounting for over 90% of the city’s total.The comprehensive strength of the National New-Type Power (Smart Grid) Equipment Cluster in key sectors will lead the world, and a world-class smart grid industrial cluster will be essentially established.

Application capabilities will see a significant leap forward. We will accelerate the upgrade of the smart grid to an energy internet, promote the integration, innovation, and application of technologies such as “cloud, big data, IoT, mobility, AI, and blockchain” in the smart grid sector, and advance grid data sharing and value extraction. We will develop a range of smart grid application solutions that evolve from single-component to holistic systems, create 40 nationally renowned Chinese brands, and integrate more products into the “Belt and Road” Initiative. The domestic market share of major products—including relay protection, automation control, and information system integration—will reach 65%.

Safety and environmental sustainability will be further enhanced. We will implement the overall national security outlook and the new energy security strategy, focus on the strategic goals of “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality,” accelerate the transformation of the energy structure, enhance the power grid’s capacity to integrate renewable energy, and build a comprehensive energy service system centered on clean energy with complementary sources.New energy installed capacity reached 1.35 million kilowatts, accounting for 10% of total power generation. We accelerated efforts to ensure the security, autonomy, and controllability of basic components and critical equipment in the power system, continuously enhanced the grid’s disaster prevention and response capabilities as well as cybersecurity levels, and comprehensively built a robust smart grid.

2025 Development Goals for Nanjing’s Smart Grid Industry

II. Implementation Pathways

(1) Strengthening Industrial Foundational Capabilities

1. Accelerate breakthroughs in core components. Enhance chip design capabilities for power system control, sensing, and security. Support R&D investment and promotion of key power-related components such as IGBTs and IGCTs, with a focus on developing power devices rated at 3,300 V and above, as well as excitation systems for large-capacity units. Accelerate breakthroughs in technical barriers for key components such as protection circuit breakers for large-capacity generators, high-voltage DC transmission bushings, and metal-film DC capacitors.Accelerate the R&D of new technologies such as high-frequency sensing and edge computing for power equipment condition monitoring. Develop a series of intelligent sensing products, including high-frequency partial discharge sensors for new-generation substation equipment, wireless sensor ad-hoc network aggregation nodes, and edge intelligence gateways. (Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, Municipal Development and Reform Commission)

2. Consolidate the leading edge in key equipment. Prioritize the development of large-scale equipment such as flexible DC transmission systems and prefabricated containerized integrated step-up and energy storage units. Support the R&D of smart components for power transmission and transformation equipment, as well as smart terminals such as power inspection, operation, and firefighting and rescue robots. Accelerate breakthroughs in distributed energy and energy storage grid integration and coordination control systems, as well as environmentally friendly high-temperature superconducting power transmission and transformation equipment.Promote the application of new energy technologies, including large-scale, high-efficiency solar thermal absorption and heat storage/exchange main equipment and control systems, as well as biomass and waste gasification power generation. Cultivate domestic production capabilities for primary wind and photovoltaic power generation equipment, energy storage battery equipment, and integrated energy-related equipment. (Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, Municipal Development and Reform Commission, Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, Municipal Urban Management Bureau)

3. Actively develop new materials for smart grids. Accelerate breakthroughs in technical barriers related to high-temperature superconducting materials, new magnetic materials, and new energy storage materials. Strengthen research and development of new energy and specialty cable technologies, vigorously develop charging pile cables, shore power cables, high-voltage transmission system cables, and smart composite cables, and promote the domestic application of cable connectors for 500 kV and above.Accelerate the development of extruded polyethylene cables for use in flexible DC transmission projects; conduct research on key technologies such as high-temperature superconducting cables, overhead conductors with integrated sensors, and anti-corrosion treatments for overhead conductors; and achieve holistic monitoring of overhead conductors. (Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, Municipal Science and Technology Bureau)

4. Support the development of smart grid software. Accelerate the R&D of relevant smart grid software, including independently controlled heavy-duty gas turbine generator control systems, microgrid energy interaction and optimization equipment, and distributed energy storage safety monitoring and early warning platforms. Comprehensively develop embedded real-time operating systems, databases, large-scale simulation software, and industrial application and analysis software. (Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology; district governments)

5. Enhance power system integration capabilities.Accelerate the development of system integration capabilities for 1,000 MW high-efficiency supercritical air-cooled units, 1,000 MW-class ultra-large-capacity hydroelectric units, 700-meter-and-above ultra-high-head impulse hydroturbine units, 40 MW and 700-meter-head-and-above pumped-storage units, and 15 MW and above variable-speed pumped-storage units; promote the establishment of a design, R&D, and testing/validation system for 400 MW and above heavy-duty gas turbines.Support the R&D and industrialization of high-efficiency solar power generation equipment, 5MW and above wind power generation equipment, megawatt-class advanced large-capacity energy storage devices, and diversified energy storage solutions and equipment, including chemical, flywheel, and hydrogen storage technologies. (Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, Municipal Development and Reform Commission, Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, district governments, Nanjing Power Supply Company)

(2) Strengthening the Industry’s Role as a Source of Innovation

1. Support the deployment of basic research on cutting-edge technologies. Focusing on the technological frontiers of smart grids, strengthen strategic planning and systematic coordination of technological innovation.Prioritize breakthroughs in new energy generation and grid-connection technologies (such as wind, solar, and energy storage); smart transmission grid technologies (including ultra-high-voltage AC/DC transmission and smart transmission and transformation equipment); smart distribution grid technologies (such as distributed generation and microgrid technologies); smart power consumption technologies (including data collection, demand response, and integrated energy management); and smart grid expansion technologies (such as new energy storage, carbon emissions assessment, and energy efficiency management).Actively seek to attract a number of major national and provincial strategic projects and major science and technology initiatives to be implemented in our city, and support efforts in Nanjing to explore the establishment of green and efficient electricity markets and carbon trading markets. (Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, Municipal Development and Reform Commission)

2. Lead the advancement of industry standards. Encourage leading enterprises to utilize independent innovation technologies to conduct research on smart grid standardization, focusing on areas such as intelligent inspection of grid equipment, standardization of distribution network systems, and standard systems covering the entire industrial chain of new energy storage and integrated energy services, and participate in the formulation and revision of international, national, and industry standards. Encourage universities, research institutes, new R&D institutions, and quality inspection agencies to jointly establish a number of industrial technology innovation alliances to jointly conduct research on industry standards and testing methods for new products and technologies.Strengthen coordination and cooperation with the National Technical Standards Innovation Base (Smart Grid) and strive to establish a national-level technical standards innovation platform. (Municipal Market Supervision Administration, Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, Municipal Science and Technology Bureau)

3. Establish high-end open platforms. Construct the Nanjing Smart Grid Industry Innovation Center and the AI Innovation and Integration Application Platform for Smart Power to high standards, and upgrade the National Smart Grid Application Product Quality Inspection Center. Upgrade and improve the Nanjing New Power Equipment Cluster Public Service Platform to enhance service levels in areas such as smart grid equipment technology certification, product testing and inspection, engineering and technical consulting, technology transfer, enterprise listing, and investment and financing. Promote the construction of secure and reliable regional power data centers and smart grid industry supply chain cloud platforms.(Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, Municipal Market Supervision Administration, Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, and district governments)

(3) Expanding the Pool of Outstanding and High-Quality Enterprises

1. Support leading enterprises in expanding and strengthening their operations. Encourage industry leaders such as State Grid NARI, State Grid Nanjing Automation, and Nanjing High-Speed Gear to significantly enhance their core competitiveness and market share, fostering a group of top “chain-leading” enterprises with broad market prospects, notable economies of scale, and distinct comprehensive competitive advantages.Strengthen strategic cooperation with central state-owned enterprises such as State Grid, China Huadian Corporation, and China Huaneng Group, and actively promote the planning and construction of a number of major national-level projects in our city. Focus on fields such as smart new energy grid integration, smart power transmission, transformation, and distribution, dispatch automation, smart communications, smart substation systems, and integrated energy stations to attract a batch of high-level investment projects. (Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, Municipal Development and Reform Commission, Municipal Investment Promotion Bureau, Municipal Planning and Natural Resources Bureau, and district governments)

2. Cultivate leading enterprises in specialized sectors. Focusing on the seven key segments of generation, transmission, transformation, distribution, consumption, dispatch, and communication, select a group of high-growth enterprises with strong innovation capabilities, significant development potential, and distinct competitive advantages. Implement a tiered cultivation plan to foster a cohort of “specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative” small-giant enterprises.Support enterprises in specializing in niche sectors such as new-generation distributed power source converters, intelligent inspection robots, next-generation high-performance plastic-encased circuit breakers, and intelligent optical distribution network management systems. Create a range of “single-champion” products with high market share and strong competitiveness in key segments, and establish a portfolio of well-known brands and flagship products with independent intellectual property rights. (Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology; district governments)

3. Promote the integrated development of enterprises along the industrial chain. Break down industry barriers and drive the gradual penetration of smart grids into broader fields such as smart cities and smart living. Foster the coordinated development of upstream and downstream sectors—including power electronics component manufacturing, new energy power generation, new energy storage, integrated energy, and power communication system development—to form a comprehensive set of end-to-end smart grid application solutions and their extended services.Encourage and support local power grid enterprises to participate more actively in municipal engineering projects, introduce new technologies and products such as 5G, blockchain, artificial intelligence, and robotics, and build world-class energy internet enterprises with outstanding competitiveness. Seize opportunities presented by the “Belt and Road” Initiative and regional integration to develop new smart energy infrastructure, and continuously expand market share internationally. (Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, Municipal Development and Reform Commission, Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, Municipal Commerce Bureau, Municipal Construction Commission, district governments, Nanjing Power Supply Company)

(IV) Building Comprehensive Functional Park Platforms

1. Optimize the spatial layout of industries. Accelerate the construction of the “One Valley, Two Zones, Three Poles” spatial development framework. “One Valley” refers to the China (Nanjing) Smart Grid Valley, which will focus on building a fully independent, secure, and stable industrial chain to create a “nationally leading, world-class” core area for high-end smart grid equipment and a source of original technologies.The “Two Zones” refer to the Nanjing Economic Development Zone, which will focus on developing the insulator and bushing industries, establishing the China Baiyun Electric Smart Grid Technology Park, and building a globally leading industrial system for new-material hollow composite insulators; and the Jiangbei New Area, which will focus on five key sectors: power grid automation, power plant and industrial automation, rail transit automation, information and security technology, and power electronics.The “Three Hubs” refer to Liuhe District, Pukou District, and Lishui District, which will focus on developing energy storage batteries, power transmission facilities and equipment, and smart grid software. (Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, district governments)

2. Enhance the resource aggregation capacity of industrial bases. Leveraging the National Smart Grid Specialized Industrial Base, the National Smart Grid Strategic Industrial Cluster, the National Smart Grid Industry Well-Known Brand Demonstration Zone, and the Jiangsu Provincial Smart Grid Specialized Innovation Demonstration Park, we will strengthen institutional innovation and policy integration to accelerate the aggregation of industrial innovation resources and high-end factors. We will actively attract leading domestic and international enterprises to establish regional headquarters, R&D headquarters, and marketing headquarters in Nanjing, develop a smart grid headquarters economy, and build a headquarters cluster base for the smart grid equipment industry.Promote the expansion of the smart grid sector from a focus on manufacturing to encompass key technology R&D, intellectual property licensing, and standard-setting, and establish a national-level comprehensive smart grid service center. (Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, district governments)

3. Establish Smart Grid Application Demonstration Parks. Encourage all districts to incorporate smart grid development plans and comprehensive energy utilization plans into their territorial spatial planning. Promote the construction of regional microgrids in key industrial parks. Focusing on the integration of generation, grid, load, and storage, adopt approaches such as virtual power plant management, localized and intensive cascaded energy utilization, and complementary operation of traditional fossil fuels and renewable energy to achieve coordinated optimization of multiple energy sources and enhance system efficiency.Support the development of comprehensive energy service systems at the industrial park level that integrate multiple technologies, including new energy generation, heat pumps, energy storage, distribution grids, and smart control. Implement integrated energy utilization projects in provincial-level and above industrial parks, such as “generation-grid-storage + steel/chemical/building materials,” “generation-grid-storage + data centers + 5G,” “substations + heat pumps + wind/solar/storage,” and “recovery and comprehensive utilization of energy resources such as waste heat and pressure.”Launch pilot projects for flexible DC distribution grids, green and low-carbon industrial parks, and photovoltaic industrial bases. (Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, district governments, Nanjing Power Supply Company)

(5) Expand Smart Grid Application Scenarios

1. Develop one-stop integrated solutions. Focusing on the large-scale construction and renovation of the national distribution grid, promote the development of active distribution grids, integrated smart distribution systems, distribution grid emergency repair command systems, and coordinated control of microgrids. Based on the integration of primary and secondary systems within the distribution grid, vigorously advance the integration of smart grid regulation and control, safety and stability control of the main grid, and optimized dispatch for large-scale renewable energy integration, while promoting comprehensive digital energy solutions. Actively promote the demonstration application of smart grids in municipal engineering and rural infrastructure construction to comprehensively enhance the automation and intelligence levels of the city’s power grid.(Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, district governments, Nanjing Power Supply Company)

2. Strengthen the integration and application of new technologies. Focus on promoting the application of 5G in “differential protection,” transmission line condition monitoring and UAV inspections, fault monitoring and localization, and precise end-to-end load control. Conduct research on the coordination of energy storage devices with the power grid, supporting peak shaving and valley filling, integrating renewable energy generation, responding to emergencies, and mitigating abnormal impacts on the power system.Support smart grid enterprises in utilizing industrial internet technologies to enhance grid resource and energy dispatch capabilities, and improve grid fault early warning, diagnosis, and operational optimization functions. (Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology)

3. Proactively identify new growth drivers. Deeply align with the national “Belt and Road” Initiative and industrial layout plans, and actively promote the construction of the China Energy Valley project by Huaneng Group.Seize the opportunity presented by Nanjing’s designation as a national pilot city for new energy vehicle battery swapping models to promote bidirectional interaction between electric vehicles and the power grid. Rationally deploy urban energy storage stations to build smart, interconnected energy terminals. Actively explore innovative models for the integrated development of smart grids with energy conservation, low-carbon initiatives, and smart equipment manufacturing. Accelerate the widespread implementation of electric power substitution across society to improve comprehensive energy efficiency and green energy consumption levels. (Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, Municipal Development and Reform Commission, Municipal Transportation Bureau, Municipal Construction Commission, Nanjing Power Supply Company)

(6) Building a Safe, Green, and Modern Power Grid

1. Strengthen the power security defense line. Utilize advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and blockchain to enhance the smart grid’s resistance to attacks and interference, protect the security of networked and edge devices, and comprehensively build a robust smart grid—capable of carrying power flows in a self-controlled, secure, and reliable manner—and a ubiquitous power Internet of Things capable of carrying data flows. Adopt various information security technologies to ensure the system’s security and confidentiality.Continue to advance the planning and construction of disaster-resilient power supply systems, focusing on improving system regulation capabilities and capacity support to maximize the assurance of power supply for critical urban loads and public welfare needs. (Nanjing Power Supply Company, Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, Municipal Emergency Management Bureau)

2. Expand the installed capacity of new energy. Develop grid connection plans for centralized new energy projects and promote the integrated grid connection of regional distributed new energy, with a focus on facilitating the grid connection of wind power and photovoltaic systems.Plan and layout the energy storage industry, improve the coordinated development mechanism for “new energy + energy storage,” accelerate the construction of the Jiangbei Energy Station by Nanjing Power Supply Company, support NARI Group in conducting pilot demonstrations of vanadium flow battery energy storage, encourage Sumec Energy Company to build integrated wind-solar-storage application scenarios, and explore and refine the “new energy + energy storage” development model. (Nanjing Power Supply Company, Municipal Development and Reform Commission, Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, and district governments)

3. Increase the utilization of green electricity. Explore cooperation channels with provinces in western China that have abundant green electricity resources to increase the proportion of green electricity imported into Nanjing from outside the region and enhance mutual support and assistance capabilities. Make every effort to secure a share of hydropower from major projects such as the Baihetan Project in Sichuan; promote the planning and construction of ultra-high-voltage (UHV) transmission lines and clean energy corridors within the province; and advance planning and research for the Qinghai UHV transmission line into Jiangsu and the Huai’an new energy transmission line into Nanjing.Accelerate the construction of main transmission corridors for green electricity across rivers, through tunnels, and over roads to enhance the power grid’s resource allocation capacity. Vigorously promote the substitution of clean energy and green electricity trading, and provide policy safeguards for enterprises purchasing green electricity. (Municipal Development and Reform Commission, Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, Municipal Bureau of Transportation, district governments, Nanjing Power Supply Company)

4. Improve the high-efficiency power grid dispatch system. Develop products such as integrated smart dispatch, stability and optimization control for ultra-large power grids, joint optimization dispatch, big data applications in the power sector, real-time dynamic monitoring of the power grid, and local control and compensation for large-scale wind power transmission. Deploy next-generation power grid information and communication security technologies; develop information systems for the generation, distribution, and consumption sides of the power grid, as well as smart optical distribution network management systems; and conduct research and application of smart optical distribution network management, comprehensive monitoring of communication networks, and intelligent allocation.(Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, Nanjing Power Supply Company)

5. Promote the development of the integrated energy industry. Based on the national “dual carbon” development goals, coordinate and advance pilot projects such as integrated energy services. Gradually establish a unified data interface and collection management platform for the production and operation of water, electricity, and gas—led by the government with participation from relevant enterprises. Explore the construction of an energy consumption and carbon metering system centered on electricity, and promote the formation of a full industrial chain encompassing carbon monitoring, carbon metering, carbon evaluation, carbon management, and carbon trading.Improve the integrated energy market and pricing mechanisms; innovatively explore business models for integrated energy services such as shared energy storage and integrated energy stations; and promote the large-scale development of the integrated energy industry centered on electricity. (Municipal Development and Reform Commission, Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, Nanjing Power Supply Company)

III. Support Measures

(1) Strengthen Organizational Leadership. Leverage the high-level coordination role of the system where municipal leaders are assigned to oversee specific segments of the smart grid industry chain. Enhance horizontal collaboration and vertical coordination to form a powerful synergy for promoting the high-quality development of the smart grid. Improve the performance evaluation mechanism by incorporating smart grid industry scale indicators into the municipal high-quality development evaluation system for districts. Establish an advisory committee composed of experts from universities, research institutions, and leading enterprises in the smart grid and related fields to provide analysis, evaluation, and recommendations on major issues and policies concerning industrial development.

(2) Strengthen Policy Support. Implement national preferential policies for the new energy industry; comprehensively utilize policy tools such as government procurement and incentives for the first-of-a-kind major technical equipment; establish and improve the city’s smart grid industrial policy framework; enhance policy dissemination and guidance services; and conduct evaluations of policy implementation effectiveness. Support the establishment of the Nanjing Smart Grid Equipment Cluster Development Special Fund and the Technology R&D Special Fund, with a focus on supporting the introduction and development of major investment projects within the smart grid industrial chain.

(3) Strengthen Talent Support. Support national-level smart grid innovation platforms and leading enterprises in serving as primary hubs for talent aggregation and cultivation, and enhance the capacity to train talent in basic and applied basic research.We will deepen industry-academia-research collaboration, establish talent and expert databases for the smart grid industry, improve the training system for professionals at all levels, and build practical training bases for top-tier talent. We will provide “one-stop” agency services for high-level innovation and entrepreneurship teams, offering comprehensive support in areas such as children’s education, spousal employment, social security, residency registration, and entry-exit procedures.

(4) Strengthen the Development Environment. Organize high-quality academic forums such as the “Zijin Power Forum” to create a window for external exchange and cooperation in our city’s smart grid industry. Leveraging the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), actively expand overseas markets, promote the brand development of the smart grid industry, and proactively chart new paths for the coordinated development of energy innovation and industrial upgrading in our city, fostering the deep integration of the energy chain with information technology, as well as economic and social sectors.Organize supply-demand matching events for the smart grid industry chain and establish a new mechanism for cooperation where the government facilitates and enterprises connect. Leverage the role of the Nanjing Smart Grid Industry Alliance and the Jiangsu Provincial Renewable Energy Industry Association as bridges and links, continuously enhancing service levels and coordination functions to promote industry interaction and practical cooperation.

Related Analysis: Media Analysis: Moving from “Domestic Leader” to “Global Leader,” Our City Unveils Action Plan to Build a 500-Billion-Yuan Smart Grid Industrial Cluster

          Infographic: A Visual Guide to Nanjing’s Action Plan for Building a 500-Billion-Yuan Smart Grid Industrial Cluster