Coal-fired power accounted for 49.7 percent of the nation's total electricity output in the first half of 2026, marking the first time its share has fallen below 50 percent and a new milestone in the country's transition towards a green and low-carbon energy system, official data showed on Thursday.

Coal-fired power generation totalled 2.5 trillion kilowatt-hours (kWh), the National Energy Administration said.

The figures reflect the phased progress China has made in expanding non-fossil energy as a substitute for conventional fossil fuel generation, agency official Xing Yiteng said.

The data showed that China's installed capacity of wind and solar power reached a combined 1.95 billion kilowatts by the end of June, up 16.8 percent from a year earlier.

Amid this capacity expansion, electricity generation from renewable energy maintained steady growth, reaching nearly two trillion kWh and up about nine percent year on year.

Renewable energy accounted for 41.2 percent of total electricity generation, exceeding the combined electricity consumption of the tertiary industry and urban and rural households, the administration said.

The latest figures underscore the accelerating pace of China's green and low-carbon energy transition, as the country continues to expand renewable energy capacity while reducing its reliance on coal.

China has pledged to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. (Xinhua)


Edited by Edmond Fong