For the first time, China produces less than half its electricity using coal

China, which is the world's biggest coal consumer, produced?less that 50% of its electricity in the six-month period ending June. This was a?first for a country promoting renewable energy.

Xing Yiteng said at a Thursday press conference that coal's share in the mix of power was 49.7%.

Xing said that the share of renewable energy grew from 41.2% to 24.6%. Natural gas and nuclear power make up the rest.

Analysts believe that despite coal's declining share, China could still use more than last year as the demand for power is rapidly increasing. As the demand for power continues to rise, more?Chinese? are turning to electric vehicles. Data centres for AI?are being constructed. The coal consumption peak is expected to be reached no later than 2030.

Gao Yuhe is Greenpeace East Asia project manager. He says that the goal of 30% wind and solar power in China by 2030 could be achieved by 2028 with more rooftop solar plus battery deployment.

She said that storage, demand response, and more flexible electricity markets will allow for a much higher penetration of solar power and help meet the?growing demand for electricity with renewable energy instead of fossil fuels.

China's coal share is higher than other large economies, in part due to its abundant coal reserves. In 2025, coal accounted for just?17% (of U.S. utility scale power generation) while 41% came from natural gas.

China's coal dependency is less than India, which has a coal-rich environment and where coal and lignite made up 69% of the power generated last year. (Reporting and editing by Edwina G. Gibbs; Colleen H. Howe)

(source: Reuters)