China's power paradox: Record renewables, continued coal

CALL it the China power paradox: while Beijing leads the world in renewable energy expansion, its coal projects are booming too.

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As the top emitter of greenhouse gases, China will largely determine whether the world avoids the worst effects of climate change.

On the one hand, the picture looks positive. Gleaming solar farms now sprawl across Chinese deserts; China installed more renewables last year than all existing US capacity; and President Xi Jinping has made the country's first emissions reduction pledges.

Yet in the first half of this year, coal power capacity also grew, with new or revived proposals hitting a decade high. China accounted for 93% of new global coal construction in 2024, the Centre for Research on Energy and Clear Air (Crea) found.