The 16th Launch of Forecasting & Prospects Research Reports on Energy Economy

BEIJING, Jan. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- On January 11, 2026, "The 16th Launch of Forecasting & Prospects Research Reports on Energy Economy" was held in Beijing. The conference released six research reports to the public, including "China's Energy Development Prospects for the 15th Five-Year Plan Period", "Research and Outlook on China's Energy Economy Index 2026", "Research on the Global Energy Transition Index (2015-2024)", "International Crude Oil Price Analysis and Forecasting in 2026", "Reviews and Prospects of China and World Carbon Markets (2026)", and "Review and Outlook of Low-Carbon Computing Power Services". This series of reports is from the targeted research results on specific topics chosen based on changes in international and domestic energy economics and climate policy situations over the previous year, performed by the research team led by distinguished Professor Yi-Ming Wei. Since 2011, these reports have been published by the Beijing Institute of Technology annually for 16 consecutive years, garnering widespread societal attention.

The release event invited experts from the National Energy Administration, China Meteorological Administration, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China Energy Research Society, National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation, China Association of Circular Economy, Nanjing University, Children's Investment Fund Foundation, China Coal Economic Research Association, Shanghai Futures Exchange, IEEE PES International Subcommittee on Electrical Energy Storage Markets and Planning, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and other institutions. Representatives from 30 media outlets, including China Media Group and People's Daily Online, covered the press conference. A total of approximately 3000 participants from various sectors of society attended the event both online and offline.

At the opening ceremony, Bencong Wang, Vice President of Beijing Institute of Technology, delivered welcome remarks. Distinguished Professor Yi-Ming Wei of Beijing Institute of Technology and Director of Beijing Laboratory for System Engineering of Carbon Neutrality introduced the overall situation about the release event, reviewed the energy economic situation of 2025, and forecasted the key development trends for energy economy in 2026. The opening session was chaired by Professor Baojun Tang, Dean of the School of Management at BIT and Deputy Director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research (CEEP).

During the report release session, the lead authors of the six reports presented the key findings. Professor Ronggang Cong and Professor Qiaomei Liang respectively chaired the report release sessions.

On future prospects, Professor Hua Liao, the lead author of "China's Energy Development Prospects for the 15th Five-Year Plan Period", pointed out that during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the sustainable endogenous driving force for building China's new-type energy system will have basically taken shape. The total scale of traditional fossil energy consumption is expected to reach a historic turning point and enter a downward range. The development of new energy remains a key pathway for counter-cyclical and cross-cyclical macroeconomic regulation, making important contributions to simultaneously promoting effective qualitative improvement and reasonable quantitative growth of the economy.

On the energy economic landscape, Professor Baojun Tang, author of Research and Outlook on China's Energy Economy Index 2026, noted that in 2025, the macroeconomy remained steady and improving, bolstered by the energy economy. In 2026, the hydrogen energy industry is expected to maintain strong momentum and, together with EVs lithium batteries and photovoltaics, will continue to attract significant market attention. The industry needs to rely on policies curbing excessive internal competition to improve quality and efficiency. With traditional energy providing foundational support, the sector aims to propel the high-quality development of the energy economy through the synergy of old and new drivers.

On the global energy transition, Dr. Yun Wu, author of Research on the Global Energy Transition Index (2015-2024), pointed out that the overall global energy transition in 2024 surpassed 2015 levels. However, the rising polarization of energy trade networks has increased system vulnerability. Currently, it is necessary to be vigilant against widening cross-country disparities, as well as declines in energy equity and transition enablement. China ranks 13th globally in energy transition and retains potential for improvement in the sustainability dimension.

On the energy market, Professor Lutao Zhao, the author of "International Crude Oil Price Analysis and Forecasting in 2026", believed that in 2026 the supporting role of supply-and-demand fundamentals for oil prices will continue to weaken and the overall market pattern will tend to be looser; non-fundamental factors will also create downward pressure on oil prices, and geopolitical conflicts remain an important factor triggering market volatility. Oil prices are expected to continue their downward trend, with average Brent and WTI crude oil prices projected to range between US$53–63/bbl and US$49–59/bbl.

On the carbon market, Professor Ke Wang, the author of "Reviews and Prospects of China and World Carbon Markets (2026)", pointed out that China's national carbon market achieved leapfrog development in 2025, with significantly expanded market coverage and continuously strengthened policy influence and market expectations. Looking ahead, the national carbon market needs to further enhance market trading vitality and strengthen alignment with global carbon pricing mechanisms and cross-border emission-reduction rules.

On low-carbon computing power, Professor Ronggang Cong, the author of "Review and Outlook of Low-Carbon Computing Power Services", noted that China's computing power industry has entered a critical transition period featuring tiered deployment, green and low-carbon development, and efficient services. In the future, it is necessary to anchor the value orientation of "low-carbon + inclusive + integration," build a low-carbon computing power service system and network with east–west linkage, type matching, computing–electricity coordination, diversified markets, and rich formats, improve a sustainable computing power service ecosystem and market, and help China achieve a leap from a "computing power large country" to a "computing power strong country."

During the conference, experts and scholars from government, industry, academia, and research institutions engaged in in-depth and extensive exchanges and discussions, generating a warm and enthusiastic response on site. Professor Hua Liao, Director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research, BIT, and Associate Professor Meng Shen, Assistant Director of the Center, chaired the expert commentary session and the media interaction session, respectively.

The conference was hosted by Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research, BIT, Beijing Laboratory for System Engineering of Carbon Neutrality, Joint International Research Laboratory of Carbon Neutrality System and Engineering Management (MoE), Beijing Key Laboratory of Energy Economics and Environmental Management, NSFC Basic Science Center for Energy and Climate Change, and Committee of Carbon Mitigation Engineering Management, CCS.

The conference was co-organized by School of Management, BIT, Sustainable Development Research Institute for Economy and Society of Beijing, Center for Electrical Energy System Transition, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, School of Environment, Nanjing University, Beijing Operations Research Society, Chinese Society of Energy Economics and Management, Energy Economics Professional Committee of China Energy Research Society, Editorial Department of Journal of Energy and Climate Change, and the Editorial Department of Coal Economic Research.

Download address of full report:
https://ceep.bit.edu.cn/zxcg/ndycbg/index.htm 

SOURCE Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research of Beijing Institute of Technology