China Used More Coal Power Last Year in Blow to Climate Efforts
The trajectory of electricity demand will be key to determining whether fossil fuel generation begins its decline in 2025.
Photographer: Qilai Shen/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
China’s fossil fuel power plants increased generation to a record last year, as the boom in clean energy failed to keep pace with surging electricity consumption in the world’s second-biggest economy.
Output from thermal plants, predominantly powered by coal, rose 1.5% in 2024 from the previous year, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics. The electricity sector is the largest contributor to China’s greenhouse gas emissions.