China sources most of its electricity from coal. In 2021, the fossil fuel accounted for 63.6 percent of total electricity generation. Despite still adding to its host of coal power plants, in recent years China has concentrated its investment efforts on clean energy projects to reduce pollution and emission levels.
In particular, manufacturing drives a large proportion of China's energy demand, with much of the energy coming from burning coal. In 2019, manufacturing accounted for about 55 percent of China's total energy consumption, and 59.6 percent of the manufacturing sector's energy came from coal.
CoalCoal supplied most (about 58%) of China's total energy consumption in 2019, down from 59% in 2018. The second-largest fuel source was petroleum and other liquids, accounting for 20% of the country's total energy consumption in 2019.
At present, the energy sources for power generation in China include coal, natural gas, wind, solar, nuclear energy, and biomass energy.
Coal-fired power accounts for roughly 60% of China's total electricity generation. Over the first three quarters of 2021, China's power generation expanded by 11% on the year, but power consumption grew by 13% as heavy industry and manufacturers cranked up output as coronavirus pandemic restrictions eased.
China's rapid industrial growth in the past three decades— averaging nearly 12% per year—has fueled a surging demand for energy. Indeed, in 2009, China edged out the United States to become the world's largest energy consumer and in the late 1990s China shifted from being a net energy exporter to a net importer.
Wind power remained China's third-largest source of electricity at the end of 2020, accounting for 6.1% of total power generation.
The addition of exceptionally high capacity will become the “new normal” in 2022, with renewables accounting for 90 per cent of new power capacity expansion, according to IEA.
About. Exports In 2020, China exported $1.51B in Electricity, making it the 6th largest exporter of Electricity in the world. At the same year, Electricity was the 272nd most exported product in China.
Access to electricity (% of population) in China was reported at 100 % in 2020, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources.
It's the worst electricity crisis China has faced in a decade. The immediate cause is that China is still highly dependent on coal, which provides 70 percent of the country's power generation. The electricity prices paid to generators are regulated by the central government, while coal prices are set on the market.