Overview

• China connected 21 gigawatts of coal power in the first half of 2025, the highest first‑half addition since 2016, according to CREA and Global Energy Monitor.
• Developers began or restarted construction on 46 gigawatts, authorities approved another 25 gigawatts in the period, and roughly 75 gigawatts of new or revived projects entered the proposal pipeline.
• Coal retirements are lagging badly, with about 1 gigawatt taken offline in the first half of 2025 against a 30 gigawatt retirement target for 2020–2025.
• Renewables set fresh records as China installed 212 gigawatts of solar in the first half, with analysis indicating demand growth is now covered by clean generation and national CO2 emissions fell about 1% year on year in the period.
• Analysts say long‑term contracts and capacity payments keep coal plants running at high output rather than as flexible backup, while upcoming 15th Five‑Year Plan targets and a new NDC before COP30 are expected to shape the next phase.