The share of renewables in China’s energy mix is set to rise to help the world’s most populous country ensure its energy security. However, oil and gas will continue to play an indispensable role.
China is the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases. But the authorities there have claimed that emissions will start to decline after 2030 and that the country wants to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. “We will accelerate the transformation of our energy structure and promote the security of energy supply in view of the transformation to a low-carbon economy,” China’s National Development and Reform Commission said on Tuesday.
Use of coal in control
China wants to increase the share of non-fossil sources in its energy mix from the current 16% to 20% by 2025. It also intends to strictly control the use of coal in heavy industry, metallurgy, cement production or the chemical industry.
Change of energy mix
By 2025, China plans to retire about 30 gigawatts of installed coal-fired power generation capacity. Instead, it is installing 380 gigawatts of capacity in hydropower and about 70 gigawatts in photovoltaics. At the same time, it will still keep oil and natural gas in the mix.
