Back الفحم في الصين Arabic Industrie charbonnière en Chine French Угольная промышленность Китая Russian சீனாவில் நிலக்கரி Tamil Вугільна промисловість Китаю Ukrainian 中国煤炭工业 Chinese
The People's Republic of China is the largest producer and consumer of coal and coal power in the world.
As of 2025[update], China produces approximately 4.8 billion tons of coal per year, over half of the global total.[1] The Chinese central government gave local governments more freedom to permit the construction of coal-fired plants in 2014, which resulted in the growth of coal use.[2] In 2023, coal accounted for 60 percent of the country's electricity generation.[3] In May 2024, coal's share of the country's electricity generation reached 53%.[3]
Despite these shifts, coal expansion has persisted.[1] In the first half of 2021, 43 new coal power units were announced, and in 2022, China’s increasing coal capacity offset global reductions in coal use.[4][5][needs update]
In September 2021, China pledged to end financing for overseas coal power plants,[6] leading to the cancellation of at least 15 projects by April 2022.[7]
- ^ a b "China could greatly reduce its reliance on coal. It probably will not". The Economist. 31 March 2025. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
China produces some 4.8bn tonnes of coal annually, more than half the global total
- ^ "A glut of new coal-fired power stations endangers China's green ambitions". The Economist. 21 May 2020. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
Work on many of the new coal-fired stations began after the central government gave local officials greater freedom to approve construction at the end of 2014. The aim was to cut red tape, not to ramp up the burning of coal. But it resulted in a blizzard of new permits.
- ^ a b Myllyvirta, Lauri (11 July 2024). "China's clean energy pushes coal to record-low 53% share of power in May 2024". Carbon Brief.
Coal lost seven percentage points compared with May 2023, when it accounted for 60% of generation in China.
- ^ "China's power & steel firms continue to invest in coal even as emissions surge cools down" (PDF). Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 August 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:2was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "China's Xi Jinping promises to halt new coal projects abroad amid climate crisis". cnn. Archived from the original on 3 October 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
- ^ "At Least 15 China-Backed Coal Plants Canceled, Another 37 GW in Limbo". Power. 24 April 2022.