China's legislature is considering a draft energy law to ensure supply security and to support the development of renewables, official media agency Xinhua said on Tuesday.

The draft law, which would reform the energy development system and pricing mechanisms, was submitted to the standing committee of the National People's Congress for deliberations.

Among its provisions are rules on developing energy reserve and emergency management systems, Xinhua said.

China's state planner has already laid down the contours of a coal production reserve system to be built by 2027, aimed at preventing a repeat of a nationwide power shortage that occurred in 2021.

The draft includes provisions on the creation of a unified national electricity market that authorities are aiming to establish by 2030, in part to help integrate renewables into the power system, Xinhua said.

The law would strengthen energy market functioning by ensuring "a separation between natural monopolies and competitive businesses" and that "energy pipeline networks are open to all eligible entities", Xinhua said.

The legislation is part of a tranche of draft bills that include an atomic energy law.

Bills in China's legislature typically require two to three rounds of deliberation before passage. (Reporting by Colleen Howe Editing by Bernadette Baum)