China puts coal on back burner as renewables soar

China has significantly reduced coal power plant approvals in early 2024 as massive additions of wind and solar power meet incremental electricity demand. While construction of previously permitted projects remains high, the shift toward clean energy is driving a decline in coal power generation and signaling a potential peak in CO2 emissions before 2030.

• China experienced a sharp decline in coal power plant approvals in the first half of 2024, permitting only twelve projects totaling 9 GW, which represents an 83% decrease compared to the first half of 2023.
• The rapid deployment of renewables has directly impacted coal usage, with over 400 GW of solar and wind power added since 2023, contributing to a 7% drop in coal power generation between June 2023 and June 2024.
• Despite the drop in new permits, construction of coal plants initiated during the 2022-2023 period remains strong; over 41 GW of projects were started in H1 2024, representing more than 90% of new global construction activity.
• The Chinese government is shifting its focus from energy efficiency to carbon emission reduction, as evidenced by the July 2024 communiqué of the 20th Central Committee mentioning "carbon reduction" for the first time.
• Economic drivers are fueling the transition, with the clean energy sector contributing an estimated 40% of China's GDP growth in 2023.
• Current energy policies may still allow for fossil fuel growth; a target stating clean energy should cover 70% of the increase in energy consumption from 2026 to 2030 implies that 30% of growth will still rely on fossil fuels.

APA

Qin, Q., & Shearer, C. (2024). China puts coal on back burner as renewables soar. Global Energy Monitor. https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/CREA_GEM_2024H1_Coal-power-briefing_11.pdf

Chicago

Qin, Qi, and Christine Shearer. China puts coal on back burner as renewables soar. Global Energy Monitor, 2024. https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/CREA_GEM_2024H1_Coal-power-briefing_11.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Qin |first1=Qi |last2=Shearer |first2=Christine |title=China puts coal on back burner as renewables soar |publisher=Global Energy Monitor |date=22 August 2024 |url=https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/CREA_GEM_2024H1_Coal-power-briefing_11.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{qin2024china, author = {Qin, Qi and Shearer, Christine}, title = {{China puts coal on back burner as renewables soar}}, institution = {Global Energy Monitor}, year = {2024}, month = aug, url = {https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/CREA_GEM_2024H1_Coal-power-briefing_11.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }