BEIJING — China coal power generation fell in 2025 for the first time in a decade even as electricity demand topped 10 trillion kilowatt-hours, government data showed. Solar, wind and other low-carbon sources grew fast enough to cover demand gains and squeeze fossil-fueled output, Jan. 19, 2026.
China coal power slips as renewables cover demand growth
“Thermal” electricity — generation dominated by coal — slid 1% to 6.29 trillion kilowatt-hours (kWh) in 2025, with December down 3.2% from a year earlier, according to a Reuters report citing China’s National Bureau of Statistics.
Total electricity consumption still rose 5% to 10.4 trillion kWh, the first time China has crossed the 10-trillion mark, the National Energy Administration said in a government release. Rapid growth in internet-related services and electric-vehicle manufacturing helped drive demand, the agency said.
Thermal electricity (mostly coal): 6.29 trillion kWh in 2025, down 1%.
Total consumption: 10.4 trillion kWh in 2025, up 5%.
Independent estimate: coal-fired output down about 1.6% (roughly 58 terawatt-hours).
The two data sets are not perfectly comparable. The NEA series aims to capture a fuller picture of consumption and includes some smaller-scale renewables that are not fully reflected in the NBS survey, Reuters noted. That nuance matters when tracking China coal power’s share of the grid.
A Carbon Brief analysis reached a similar conclusion using power-sector data and plant utilization trends, estimating coal-fired generation in China fell about 1.6% (roughly 58 terawatt-hours) in 2025 after record clean-power additions.
“THIS TREND TOWARDS A STRUCTURAL SHIFT IN POWER GENERATION IS DIFFICULT TO REVERSE,” SAID FENG DONGBIN, VICE GENERAL MANAGER AT FENWEI DIGITAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, WHICH OPERATES THE CHINESE COAL ANALYTICS PLATFORM SXCOAL.
Continuity over time: climate pledges, renewables boom, coal buildout
The milestone lands after years of mixed signals in China’s energy transition. President Xi Jinping pledged in 2020 that China would aim to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and reach carbon neutrality before 2060, as detailed in a Reuters report from that year.
Renewables growth has since accelerated. China installed 357 gigawatts of wind and solar in 2024, according to an Associated Press report citing the National Energy Administration.
Coal capacity, however, has continued to expand as a reliability backstop. In 2023, analysts warned that plans for roughly 100 new coal-fired plants could leave China with underused, loss-making assets, according to a Reuters examination.
A 2025 report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air said coal’s share of power generation fell to 51% in June 2025 even as coal projects stayed elevated, highlighting the widening gap between capacity growth and actual output, the analysis said.
For 2026, the key test is whether grid upgrades and flexible system operations can keep pace with electrification and rising consumption. If they do, the era of ever-rising China coal power output may already be ending — even if China coal power still anchors supply during peak demand.
