China’s coal-fired power generation falls 1.9 per cent in 2025

• 15 hours ago (2026-02-13)
• David Flin

Asia 996 Coal 351

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According to a report by Wood Mackenzie , China’s coal-fired power generation fell by 1.9 per cent in 2025, as the rapid expansion of non-fossil power generation outpaced electricity demand growth for the first time in a decade.

Despite power demand rising by 5 per cent (494 TWh) in 2025, coal-fired generation did not increase to meet demand. Increased electricity demand were more than met by carbon-free sources, with the strong growth in renewable energy and a steady expansion in nuclear capacity.

Sharon Feng, Senior Research Analyst at Wood Mackenzie, said: “At the heart of this transformation is the unprecedented expansion of renewable energy capacity. China’s wind and solar power capacity has increased more than ten-fold over the past decade, reaching 1842 GW.”

China’s nuclear capacity has expanded from 27 GW in 2015 to 62 GW in 2025. The country has also significantly strengthened its power transmission infrastructure, deploying 340 GW of inter-regional transmission corridors to connect renewable-rich regions in west and north China with the major population and industrial centres in the east and south.