China plans to increase the share of renewables (including hydro) in the power mix to 28.2% in 2020. The share of renewables (excluding hydro) is expected to reach 10.8%. Ten provinces and regions must produce at least 30% of power from renewable sources, while 9 provinces and regions target more than 15% of power generation from non-hydro sources. Regional power grid operators have been requested to allocate power capacity according to the targets.
Additionally, the Chinese government has committed to honouring its pledges under the Paris agreement despite the coronavirus epidemic. China’s NDC set the objective of achieving a peak CO2 reduction around 2030, or earlier if possible; lowering CO2 per unit of GDP by 60% to 65% from 2005 levels; increasing the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to around 20%; and increasing the forest stock volume by around 4.5 bcm above the 2005 level.
In 2019, the country fell short of its energy efficiency goals due to the fast growth in the economic sector of steel, building materials, non-ferrous metals, chemicals, and services. Energy intensity, which measures the amount of energy needed to generate one unit of GDP, decreased by 2.6% in 2019, which was lower than the Chinese government target of 3% cut.