Abstract:Planning the low-carbon transition pathway of the power sector to meet the carbon neutrality goal poses a significant challenge due to the complex interplay of temporal, spatial, and cross-domain factors. A novel framework is proposed, grounded in the cyber-physical-social system in energy (CPSSE) and whole-reductionism thinking (WRT), incorporating a tailored mathematical model and optimization method to formalize the co-optimization of carbon reduction and carbon sequestration in the power sector. Using the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality transition of China as a case study, clustering method is employed to construct a diverse set of strategically distinct carbon trajectories. For each trajectory, the evolution of the generation mix and the deployment pathways of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies are analyzed, identifying the optimal transition pathway based on the criterion of minimizing cumulative economic costs. Further, by comparing non-fossil energy substitution and CCS retrofitting in thermal power, the analysis highlights the potential for co-optimization of carbon reduction and carbon sequestration. The results demonstrate that leveraging the spatiotemporal complementarities between the two can substantially lower the economic cost of achieving carbon neutrality, providing insights for integrated decarbonization strategies in power system planning.