China Energy and Power Guide

China is the world's largest energy producer and consumer, accounting for approximately 26% of global energy consumption and 23% of global energy production. The country's energy system has undergone a dramatic transformation, balancing its reliance on coal with the world's fastest expansion of renewable energy capacity.

Energy Mix (2024)

• Coal: ~55.3% of primary energy consumption (declining from 72% in 2005)
• Oil: ~17.6% (import dependency ~72%)
• Natural Gas: ~8.6% (import dependency ~43%)
• Non-Fossil (Renewables + Nuclear): ~18.5% (target: 25% by 2030)
• Hydropower: ~8.0% of primary energy
• Wind + Solar: ~7.5% of primary energy
• Nuclear: ~3.0% of primary energy

The table below shows energy consumption and production data for all 34 provincial-level divisions. Shandong leads in total consumption, while Shanxi and Inner Mongolia are major coal producers, and Sichuan and Yunnan lead in hydroelectric generation.

Province	Consumption (TWh)	Coal (Mt)	Oil (Mt)	Hydro (TWh)	Carbon Intensity	Clean Share
Shandong	4,562	168	185	12	4.8%	42.1%
Guangdong	4,235	45	82	15	5.2%	38.5%
Jiangsu	3,856	28	65	18	4.5%	45.2%
Hebei	3,125	52	45	28	5.8%	25.8%
Henan	2,890	85	38	22	5.1%	22.5%
Inner Mongolia	2,856	580	35	52	12.3%	8.5%
Shanxi	2,680	620	22	48	14.2%	6.2%
Zhejiang	2,680	8	42	18	5.8%	35.2%
Sichuan	2,456	18	92	820	3.2%	15.8%
Liaoning	2,350	42	55	32	4.8%	28.2%
Hubei	2,185	12	48	680	2.8%	18.5%
Hunan	2,080	15	35	420	3.1%	16.2%
Anhui	1,965	22	32	15	3.5%	18.8%
Xinjiang	1,950	320	28	85	10.5%	12.5%
Shaanxi	1,850	165	28	65	6.8%	10.5%
Fujian	1,685	5	25	520	2.2%	22.5%
Shanghai	1,580	0	35	22	0.1%	45.8%
Heilongjiang	1,450	52	38	15	5.2%	15.8%
Guizhou	1,420	128	15	350	3.8%	15.2%
Yunnan	1,380	35	12	680	2.5%	18.5%
Beijing	1,250	2	28	8	0.5%	52.5%
Guangxi	1,180	15	18	380	2.5%	16.5%
Gansu	1,150	55	8	480	4.2%	12.8%
Chongqing	1,120	8	18	185	2.5%	18.5%
Tianjin	1,085	3	25	12	1.2%	28.5%
Jiangxi	1,050	12	15	120	2.2%	15.8%
Jilin	985	15	18	85	3.8%	14.5%
Ningxia	820	85	5	32	10.8%	8.2%
Qinghai	485	52	3	520	8.5%	85.2%
Hainan	385	2	8	15	2.8%	22.5%
Tibet	185	2	1	120	1.5%	95.8%

China remains the world's largest coal producer and consumer, but is actively reducing coal's share in the energy mix. In 2024, China produced approximately 4.7 billion tonnes of coal and consumed 4.5 billion tonnes.

Key Coal Facts

• Total installed coal power capacity: 1,190 GW (world's largest)
• Coal mining provinces: Shanxi (620 Mt), Inner Mongolia (580 Mt), Shaanxi (165 Mt), Xinjiang (320 Mt)
• Coal consumption decline: From 72% (2005) to 55.3% (2024) of primary energy
• Ultra-low emission retrofits completed for over 1,030 GW of coal plants (86% of total)
• No new coal power plant approvals for non-essential projects since 2021

Coal Plant Efficiency

China operates the world's most efficient coal fleet. Average coal plant efficiency exceeds 44% (vs. global average of 35%), and new ultra-supercritical plants achieve 47%+ efficiency. The country has invested heavily in clean coal technologies including carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) pilot projects.

China is the world's largest oil importer and second-largest oil consumer. The country has been diversifying its energy sources to reduce import dependency, which remains above 70% for oil and 40% for natural gas.

Oil Sector

• Annual oil consumption: ~760 million tonnes (~15.3 million bpd)
• Domestic production: ~210 million tonnes (import dependency ~72%)
• Major domestic fields: Daqing (Heilongjiang), Shengli (Shandong), Changqing (Shaanxi/Gansu), Tarim (Xinjiang)
• Strategic Petroleum Reserve: ~500 million barrels (equivalent to ~90 days of net imports)
• Petrochemical capacity: 15 major refinery hubs, Zhejiang (Zhoushan) operates the world's largest refinery

Natural Gas Sector

• Annual gas consumption: ~400 billion cubic meters
• Domestic production: ~230 billion cubic meters (import dependency ~43%)
• Major gas fields: Sichuan Basin, Ordos Basin, Tarim Basin, South China Sea
• Import sources: Turkmenistan (pipeline), Russia (Power of Siberia pipeline), Qatar, Australia, USA (LNG)
• West-East Gas Pipeline network: 110,000+ km covering all provinces
• City gas coverage: 98%+ of urban areas

China leads the world in renewable energy deployment across all major categories. The country accounts for ~45% of global renewable capacity additions and holds the #1 position in solar, wind, and hydroelectric installed capacity.

Solar Power

• Total installed capacity: ~890 GW (world's largest, ~40% of global total)
• 2024 additions: ~280 GW (more than rest of world combined)
• Leading provinces: Xinjiang, Qinghai, Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Shandong
• Major manufacturers: LONGi, JinkoSolar, Trina Solar, JA Solar, Canadian Solar
• Largest solar farm: Tengger Desert Solar Park (Ningxia, 1.55 GW)
• Distributed rooftop solar: ~350 GW installed

Wind Power

• Total installed capacity: ~530 GW (world's largest, ~42% of global total)
• Onshore: ~480 GW | Offshore: ~50 GW
• Leading provinces: Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Hebei, Shandong
• Top turbine manufacturers: Goldwind, Envision, Mingyang, Dongfang Electric
• Largest offshore wind farm: Yangjiang Intercity (Guangdong, 3 GW)

Hydropower

• Total installed capacity: ~425 GW (world's largest, ~30% of global total)
• Annual generation: ~1,350 TWh (world's largest)
• Leading provinces: Sichuan (820 TWh), Yunnan (680 TWh), Hubei (680 TWh), Guizhou (350 TWh)
• Major dams: Three Gorges (22.5 GW, world's largest), Xiluodu (13.86 GW), Baihetan (16 GW), Wudongde (10.2 GW)
• Pumped-storage hydropower: ~85 GW installed (target: 120 GW by 2030)

Biomass and Geothermal

• Biomass power: ~45 GW installed, mainly from agricultural waste and municipal solid waste
• Geothermal: ~150 MW for power generation; direct use for heating exceeds 40 GW thermal
• Ocean/tidal energy: Pilot projects in Zhejiang and Fujian

China operates the third-largest nuclear fleet globally (after USA and France) and has the world's largest nuclear construction pipeline. The country aims for 120-150 GW of installed nuclear capacity by 2035.

Nuclear Fleet Status

Province	Plants	Capacity (GW)	Facilities
Guangdong	6	16.5	Daya Bay, Ling Ao, Yangjiang, Taishan, Huizhou
Zhejiang	3	9.1	Qinshan, Qinshan II/III, Sanmen, Fangjiashan
Fujian	2	11.9	Ningde, Fuqing, Zhangzhou
Liaoning	1	2.0	Hongyanhe
Shandong	2	4.2	Haiyang, Shidaowan
Hainan	1	1.3	Changjiang
Jiangsu	2	4.1	Tianwan, Lianyungang
Guangxi	2	4.0	Fangchenggang

Key Nuclear Technologies

• Total operational capacity: ~58 GW across 56 reactors
• Under construction: 26 reactors (~30 GW additional)
• Hualong One (HPR1000): China's indigenous Gen III+ design (1.15 GW per reactor)
• Fast breeder reactor: CFR-600 experimental reactor under construction in Fujian
• High-Temperature Gas Reactor (HTGR): Shidaowan HTR-PM (world's first commercial 4th-gen reactor)
• Small Modular Reactors (SMR): Linglong One (ACP100) under construction in Hainan
• Fusion research: EAST (Hefei) and HL-2M (Chengdu) tokamaks achieving significant milestones

China's energy policy is driven by the "Dual Carbon" goals: peak carbon before 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. Key policy frameworks include:

National Strategies

• 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025): Non-fossil energy to reach 20% of primary energy consumption; energy intensity to decrease 13.5%.
• Renewable Energy Quota System: Mandatory renewable energy consumption targets for all provinces; green certificate trading system.
• Carbon Trading (ETS): World's largest emissions trading system launched July 2021, covering ~4.5 billion tonnes of CO2 from power sector; expanding to steel, cement, and aluminum.
• Green Finance: China issued over 5.8 trillion CNY in green bonds in 2024, the world's second-largest green bond market.
• Ultra-High Voltage (UHV): 38 UHV transmission lines (total ~50,000 km) connecting western renewable sources to eastern demand centers. Transmission capacity exceeds 300 GW.
• New Energy Vehicle (NEV) Mandate: NEV sales share reached 40%+ of new car sales in 2024. China produces 65% of global EVs and 80% of global EV batteries.

Transition Targets

• 2025: Non-fossil energy reaches 20% of primary energy
• 2030: Carbon emissions peak; non-fossil energy reaches 25%
• 2035: Installed nuclear capacity reaches 120-150 GW
• 2040: Non-fossil energy reaches 35-40% of primary energy
• 2050: Carbon emissions reduced by 90% from peak
• 2060: Carbon neutrality achieved