For the first time in history, coal accounted for less than half of China’s electricity generation. In the first half of the year, coal-fired power generation fell to 49.7%. Renewables, meanwhile, surpassed 40% for the first time, with wind and solar accounting for nearly a quarter.
We congratulate China, of course — but not wholeheartedly. And here’s why.
The figure looks impressive and, as they say, lands right on the threshold. But there’s a catch: share and volume are not the same thing. Coal may be taking up a smaller slice of the pie, but the pie itself is growing so fast that, in absolute kilowatt-hours, China could actually burn even more coal this year than it did last year.
And the very things driving demand are precisely those that are usually classified as “green”: electric vehicles, AI-powered data centers, and exports that show no signs of slowing down.
So the 50% threshold is more of a symbolic milestone than a turning point. And China still promises to reach peak coal consumption no later than 2030.
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