China is making progress in phasing out coal-fired power stations in favour of renewable energy, according to the Global Energy Association (GEA).
Its research shows that the rate of building new coal generating capacity fell from an average of 54GW a year between 2011 and 2015 to 43GW between 2016 and 2020, and then to 34GW between 2021 and 2023.
In the first half of this year, only 8.6GW was commissioned.
The drift away from coal has been made feasible by a boom in renewable energy installation.
According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, the average yearly build of wind and solar plants grew from 9.6GW in 2011-15 to 24GW in 2016-20 and 57GW in 2021-2023.
This growth has been spurred by state policy backed up by a fall in the average cost of commissioning solar farms, from $5,310 per kilowatt to $758 over the past 25 years.
The costs of commissioning wind turbines fell by half, to $1,160 per kilowatt for onshore wind farms and $2,800 for offshore.
There has been a similar expansion in nuclear capacity. Between 1991 and 2010, 13 reactors with a total capacity of 10.9GW were connected to the grid in China. Between 2014 and the present day, a further 43 reactors have come online, adding 47GW of installed capacity.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, there are 63 reactors with a total capacity of 66GW under construction across the world, and China accounts for 29 of these.
Another factor has been the increase in the use of natural gas.
Production in China grew from 27.4 billion cubic metres in 2000 and to 234 in 2023. The falling price of LNG has also boosted its use as a fuel. Some 107GW of LNG-fired power stations were built over the past 10 years.
Despite these shifts, China is still the main generator of electricity from coal. This year, a little less than 60% of the country’s energy will come from this source, and three quarters of all coal-fired plants are currently being built in China.
China has pledged to become a net zero carbon emitter by 2060.
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