China Energy Group Expands Virtual Power Plant Capacity Nationwide, Scales Demand Response Resources

Data collated up to the end of June 2026 shows China Energy Group operates twelve fully functional virtual power plant schemes across China, aggregating a total resource capacity of 8.157 gigawatts alongside adjustable flexible capacity of 839 megawatts. 

The figure for dispatchable capacity has nearly doubled compared with readings taken at the close of 2025. Over the first six months of 2026, these platforms delivered more than 22 million kilowatt-hours of regulated power volume, bringing together over 2,000 industrial consumers and distributed energy assets under unified agency and aggregation frameworks. 

The integrated assets take part in spot electricity trading, peak-shaving balancing and demand response initiatives, delivering tangible support for grid power security and the integration of renewable power generation.

The group advances national energy strategic guidelines to unlock the practical value of virtual power plants within the new-type power system framework, with regional subsidiaries rolling out customised operational models tailored to local grid conditions.

The Shanxi regional virtual power plant scheme operates as one of the province’s first accredited load aggregators, holding 95 megawatts of adjustable capacity by pooling large industrial loads to provide auxiliary grid balancing services. It has been activated 138 times through the first half of the year, supplying 16.32 million kWh of responsive power.

The Hubei virtual power plant marks the group’s first fully commercialised operation, contributing 73 megawatts of flexible capacity to spot power markets and cutting carbon emissions equivalent to 2,101 tonnes over six months.Zhejiang’s platform adopts a layered “1+1+X” resource development model, signing agreements with 273 energy consumers and securing 75 megawatts of adjustable assets, delivering 1.98 million kWh of regulated power volume in the opening half-year.

Shandong’s virtual power plant harnesses day-ahead spot price forecasting algorithms to optimise peak load reduction timetables, holding 66 megawatts of flexible capacity while maintaining peak response execution rates consistently above 90 per cent.Jiangsu’s scheme aggregates fragmented distributed renewable generation assets to join monthly green power trading within the provincial grid, operating 78 megawatts of adjustable capacity and selling 37.598 million kWh of green electricity to advance localised renewable absorption.The Guangdong platform unites 1,143 commercial and industrial users to deliver 170 megawatts of flexible capacity; its Shenzhen sub-project maintains an effective peak-shaving response rate of 120.7 per cent during grid stress events.

Anhui’s virtual power plant controls 158 megawatts of adjustable resources, underpinned by multi-modal large-scale power prediction models and digital twin regulation architecture. 

The integrated digital system enables full real-time monitoring, measurement, dispatch, control and market trading of distributed energy, facilitating precise aggregation and streamlined asset scheduling.Longyuan Power’s cross-regional “1+N” virtual power plant platform entered service in January 2026, linking distributed energy resources across ten provincial-level regions including Tianjin and Hebei with 91 megawatts of flexible capacity, laying operational groundwork for cross-provincial aggregation of scattered energy assets for grid balancing.

Construction work progresses on five new virtual power plant projects based in Hainan, Henan, Fujian, Guangxi and Tianjin, all scheduled to launch full operations before the end of 2026. 

The completed network will expand the scale of aggregated flexible consumer-side resources and lift overall system dispatch capacity. Existing platforms operated by Longyuan Power’s cross-regional hub and projects in Guangdong, Chongqing and Shaanxi will shift their operational focus from pure resource aggregation to routine balancing dispatch and sustained market trading participation. 

Internal technical standards and operational governance frameworks for virtual power plants will receive iterative upgrades, with development focused on benchmark projects boasting over 100 megawatts of adjustable capacity and annual operating revenues reaching ten million yuan, reinforcing delivery of stable power supplies, renewable energy integration and the construction of modern new-type power infrastructure.