The share of electricity generated by coal-fired power plants in China fell below 50% for the first time in the first half of 2026, accounting for 49.7% of total output, the State Energy Administration (NEA) said.
According to the agency, coal-fired power plants generated 2.5 trillion kWh of electricity in January-June. As government spokesman Xin Yiteng explained, quoted by Xinhua, this indicator reflects China's gradual progress in replacing traditional fossil fuel generation with energy sources that do not involve the use of carbon raw materials.
By the end of June, the country's total installed capacity of wind and solar power reached 1.95 billion kW, an increase of 16.8% year on year.
Against this background, electricity generation from renewable sources in the first half of the year increased by approximately 9% compared to the same period in 2025 and is approaching 2 trillion kWh.
The share of renewable energy in total electricity generation reached 41.2%. As the NEA notes, this volume exceeds the total electricity consumption of service sector enterprises, as well as urban and rural households.
The agency notes that the published indicators show that China is accelerating its transition to low-carbon energy by expanding renewable generation capacity and gradually reducing its dependence on coal. China aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.