China exemplifies the global energy paradox. The country deploys solar panels and wind turbines at an unprecedented pace but simultaneously continues to expand coal power projects. This duality places Beijing at the center of international climate debates, with its energy policy directly influencing the trajectory of global greenhouse gas emissions.
The figures are striking: China added more renewable capacity in one year than the entire United States. However, by the first half of 2025, it had also bolstered its coal infrastructure. In 2024, the country accounted for 93% of new coal power plants constructed worldwide, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). This approach aligns with a strategy known as “build before dismantling”: keeping traditional plants operational until renewable energies can fully meet demand.
Chinese authorities remain influenced by the electricity shortages of 2021 and 2022, which were exacerbated by high prices, rising demand, and extreme weather conditions. To prevent outages and ensure economic stability, they prioritize the addition of coal capacity, a move described as a “bureaucratic reflex” by Lauri Myllyvirta, co-founder of CREA. This caution also helps secure energy supplies for industrial regions while mitigating political risks.
Despite this coal dependency, Chinese electricity demand remains the driving force of the strategy. New renewable capacities were sufficient to cover demand growth in the first half of 2025, but many businesses still view coal as profitable, especially since large renewable installations are often distant from major cities, complicating and increasing energy transport costs.
China’s energy transition must also contend with the end of guaranteed purchase prices for renewables, which had been a crucial lever for developing solar and wind energy. New installations will now be subject to market mechanisms, while the demand for green electricity remains inadequate to sustain a rapid expansion pace. Nonetheless, Beijing intends to impose a minimum share of renewable energy on enterprises and aims for 3,600 gigawatts of wind and solar capacity by 2035, an ambitious target but insufficient to fully cover demand growth.
The additional coal does not necessarily mean an immediate increase in emissions. Currently, Chinese power plants operate at an average of only 50% of their capacity, while the clean energy sector — renewable energy, nuclear power, hydroelectricity, and electric vehicles — has become a strategic economic driver, contributing 10% to China’s GDP in 2024, a record. For experts, this economic development justifies cautious optimism: China is continuing its transition while ensuring the stability of its energy supply and the growth of its economy.