---
title: "Energy Revolution in China: Coal Loses Dominance to Clean Energy for the First Time"
description: "China has made a breakthrough in energy: the share of coal has fallen below 50% for the first time, yielding to renewable sources. 🌞🌬️ Sun and wind covered more than 60% of demand growth, while the country's total power plant capacity surpassed the combined figures of the USA, EU, and Russia. 📉🇨🇳"
date: 2026-07-31T20:57:37.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/china-coal-below-50-percent-record-res-en
tags: [china, renewable-energy, coal-power, solar-energy, wind-energy]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Energy Revolution in China: Coal Loses Dominance to Clean Energy for the First Time

![Solar power plant in China: symbol of the shift from coal to clean energy](https://xab.info/media/2026/07/31/kitay-ugol-nizhe-50-protsentov-rekord-vie/kitay-ugol-nizhe-50-protsentov-rekord-vie-1.webp)

China's energy sector is experiencing a historic moment. By the end of the first half of the year, the country recorded a decline in the share of coal generation below the critical 50% mark for the first time. This event, confirmed by the National Energy Administration, marks a fundamental shift in the energy mix of the world's largest economy.

Over six months, coal-fired power plants generated approximately 2.5 trillion kWh of electricity. Despite this substantial volume, its share in total production amounted to 49.7%. Just a few years ago, coal was the unquestioned foundation of China's energy sector, and its share falling below half is considered a significant milestone in the transition to a more eco-friendly model.

### Explosive Growth in "Green" Generation

Parallel to the retreat of traditional fuels, there is a rapid increase in electricity production from renewable energy sources (RES). In the first half of the year, this figure approached 2 trillion kWh, reaching a record 41.2% of the generation mix.

Solar and wind power plants play a particularly important role in this process. Together, they produced over 1.25 trillion kWh, accounting for about a quarter of the country's total electricity consumption. It is these environmentally friendly sources that covered more than 60% of the growth in electricity demand, taking on the main burden of meeting the growing needs of the economy.

### Global Leadership in Capacity

China maintains its status as the absolute leader in installed power plant capacity. As of May, the total capacity exceeded 4.01 billion kW. For comparison: this figure is greater than the combined capacity of the USA, European Union countries, India, Japan, and Russia.

The structure of installed capacity has undergone colossal changes over the last decade. If in 2010 coal-fired power plants accounted for 61% of capacity, this figure has now dropped to 32%. At the same time, the share of energy sources not using fossil fuels has risen to 62%, confirming the scale of the technological transformation in the sector.