China to Tie New AI Data Centers to Green Power: 2026–2030 Renewable Energy Plan

China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the National Energy Administration (NEA) issued the "15th Five-Year Plan for Renewable Energy Development" (2026–2030) in July 2026. It requires new data centers to be coordinated with renewable generation and calls for a larger share of green electricity in the power supply of digital infrastructure.

What the new plan requires

The "15th Five-Year Plan for Renewable Energy Development" directs that new data centers be planned jointly with renewable generation facilities, and that the potential for spatial and temporal regulation of computing load be unlocked by category. Two key regulators, NDRC and NEA, signed the document, according to business outlet 36Kr.

The document treats digital infrastructure as a separate category of energy consumer and requires a higher share of renewables in its supply — not only for new facilities but for existing ones as well. This is the first tier: linking data center electricity demand to the national renewable energy program.

Key provisions of the plan for digital infrastructure:

• Authors: National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and National Energy Administration (NEA)
• Document: "15th Five-Year Plan for Renewable Energy Development," covering 2026–2030
• Joint planning of new data centers and renewable generation facilities
• Direct connection to green power (绿电直连) and the integrated "source–grid–load–storage" model (源网荷储一体化)
• A growing share of renewables in the energy consumption of existing digital infrastructure

How green power will reach data centers

The plan relies on two engineering mechanisms. The first is direct connection of data centers to green generation (绿电直连), in which a facility draws electricity straight from solar or wind plants, bypassing the general grid. The second is the integrated "source–grid–load–storage" scheme (源网荷储一体化), which combines generation, transmission, consumption and storage into a single managed loop.

Separately, the plan requires that the "spatial and temporal potential for regulating computing load be unlocked by category" — in other words, that data center workloads be shifted in time and between regions so they coincide with peaks in wind and solar output.

Why this matters for AI

AI data centers are one of the fastest-growing sources of electricity demand in China, and the 2026–2030 plan directly addresses computing load (算力负荷, "suanli"). Regulators tie further expansion of computing capacity to a mandatory increase in the share of green energy powering it — for both new and already-built facilities.

Spatial and temporal regulation of computing load (算力负荷) is not a new idea for energy specialists: some workloads, such as model training, can be run during hours of surplus wind and solar power. The 2026–2030 plan turns that flexibility from a technical possibility into a state policy requirement.

This links two of China's national strategies: scaling up computing infrastructure for AI and shifting the energy system to renewable sources. According to 36Kr, the requirement applies to existing digital infrastructure, not just new projects.

"Steadily raise the level of green electricity consumption by digital infrastructure," the text of the "15th

Five-Year Plan for Renewable Energy Development" says.

What this means

China is folding the energy supply of AI infrastructure into its national climate agenda: new data centers will be built near green generation, and computing load will be tuned to renewable output. For operators, this means access to clean energy becomes part of the rules of the game through 2030.

Frequently asked questions

What is China's 15th Five-Year Plan?

The 15th Five-Year Plan (十五五) is China's national development planning cycle for 2026–2030. The "Renewable Energy Development Plan" for this period sets targets for green generation, including power supply for data centers.

What is direct connection to green power (绿电直连)?

It is a mechanism in which a data center or other large consumer receives electricity directly from renewable generation facilities (solar, wind), bypassing the general grid. The plan names it as one way to raise the share of green energy in the power supply of digital infrastructure.