In 2024, China’s primary energy production continued to grow, maintaining an energy self-sufficiency rate above 80%. While the output of raw coal, crude oil, and natural gas saw steady increases, the new energy sector made significant strides, with clean energy's share of total electricity generation steadily rising.
Source: China Economic Net
In 2024, China’s primary energy production continued to grow, maintaining an energy self-sufficiency rate above 80%. While the output of raw coal, crude oil, and natural gas saw steady increases, the new energy sector made significant strides, with clean energy's share of total electricity generation steadily rising. The combined contribution of hydropower, nuclear, wind, and solar energy to industrial power generation reached 32.6%.
Progress in Major Hydropower Projects. A number of major hydropower projects were approved and launched in 2024. Key projects, such as the Lancang River Tobu and others, were completed and began operations, while the Yalong River integrated hydropower-solar-wind base project continued to progress as planned. By the end of the year, China’s total installed hydropower capacity reached 435 million kW, including 57 million kW from pumped storage.
Rapid Growth in Wind and Solar Energy. The development of large-scale wind and solar power bases accelerated in 2024, with the first batch of projects now fully operational. Efforts to combat desertification in the “Three North” regions and integrate wind and solar energy continued, with the “Thousand Villages, Ten Thousand Towns Wind Action” initiative moving forward. A pilot program for wind and solar resource surveys was launched across six provinces, including Hebei. By the end of the year, wind power capacity reached about 510 million kW, while solar power capacity hit 840 million kW, maintaining a utilization rate of over 95%.
Nuclear Power Leads the World in Operational and Under-Construction Capacity. In 2024, China’s Hualong One demonstration project was completed, and the Guohe One demonstration project’s Unit 1 was connected to the grid. The nuclear power sector continued to maintain internationally leading safety standards, with five additional projects in Jiangsu and other regions, including 11 new reactor units, receiving approval. The country now has 102 operational and approved nuclear units, with a combined capacity of 113 million kW.
Accelerating Clean and Efficient Use of Fossil Fuels. China has also accelerated the clean and efficient use of fossil fuels. In 2024, over 180 million kW of coal-fired power units were upgraded, and 8 million kW of outdated capacity was eliminated. The government continued to integrate oil and gas exploration with new energy initiatives, including carbon capture and oil recovery projects. In addition, the coal-to-liquid oil projects in Shaanxi Yulin and Xinjiang Hami received approval. Efforts to increase coal mine gas utilization saw about 6 billion cubic meters of high-concentration gas utilized in total.