According to China’s National Energy Administration (NEA), the country’s installed capacity increased by 14.6% in 2024, surpassing 3,348 GW. Solar capacity surged by a record 45.2% (+277 GW) to reach 887 GW, while wind power capacity increased by 18% (+80 GW) to reach nearly 521 GW. Hydropower capacity rose by 3.2% to nearly 436 GW, while nuclear capacity increased by 6.9% to nearly 61 GW. Thermal capacity rose by 3.8% to over 1,444 GW. In 2024, power generation increased by 4.6% in 2024, reaching 9,418 TWh, with a rise in thermal generation (+1.5%), hydropower (+11%), wind (+11%) and solar (+28%).
In addition, the NEA unveiled China’s electricity consumption for 2024, which reached 9,852 TWh, a 6.8% increase compared to 2023. In terms of sectors, power consumption in the primary industry accounted for nearly 136 TWh (+6.3%), consumption in the secondary industry reached 6,387 TWh (+5.1%), and consumption in the tertiary industry stood at 1,835 TWh (+9.9%). Finally, electricity consumption of urban and rural residents reached 1,494 TWh (+10.6%). Among industrial branches, electricity consumption from the manufacturing branches rose by 10% and that of the four largest energy-intensive branches increased by 2.2%, a much slower rate than in 2023.