Wind Power in China: A cautionary tale

China experienced rapid wind power growth from 1.26 GW in 2005 to 91.4 GW by 2013, but this expansion outpaced grid infrastructure. This led to significant issues with curtailment and delayed project connections, driven by a lack of coordination between wind farm construction and grid expansion, as well as insufficient state-level oversight. The Chinese government has acknowledged these gaps in its 2012 White Paper and 12th Five-Year Plan, emphasizing the need for better integration of supply and demand.

• China's wind power capacity grew significantly over an eight-year period, increasing from 1.26 gigawatts (GW) in 2005 to 91.4 GW by the end of 2013.
• The rapid expansion of wind power resources in China has outpaced the construction of the transmission grid, leading to delayed connections and the curtailment of generated power.
• The issues of delayed connection and curtailment are attributed to technical, economic, and governance failures, including misaligned construction plans for wind farms and grids, weak support for grid operators compared to power developers, and a lack of state-level coordination.
• The Chinese government has identified the need to increase grid capacity and coordinate the development of grid and capacity within its 2012 White Paper on energy policy and the 12th Five-Year Plan (FYP).

APA

Attwood,, L. K. B. G. W. K. (2016). Wind Power in China: A cautionary tale. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/wind-power-china-cautionary-tale

Chicago

Attwood,, Lucy Kitson,Richard Bridle,Philip Gass,Hanjie Wang,Lucy Kitson,Clement. Wind Power in China: A cautionary tale. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2016. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/wind-power-china-cautionary-tale.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Attwood, |first1=Lucy Kitson,Richard Bridle,Philip Gass,Hanjie Wang,Lucy Kitson,Clement |title=Wind Power in China: A cautionary tale |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2 September 2016 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/wind-power-china-cautionary-tale |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{attwood2016wind, author = {Attwood,, Lucy Kitson,Richard Bridle,Philip Gass,Hanjie Wang,Lucy Kitson,Clement}, title = {{Wind Power in China: A cautionary tale}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2016}, month = sep, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/wind-power-china-cautionary-tale}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }