China cuts coal's share of electricity output in H1 2024: Maguire
The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.
By Gavin Maguire
LITTLETON, Colorado, July 24 (Reuters) -Coal-fired power plants generated 59.6% of China's total electricity output during the opening half of 2024, the first time on record that coal produced less than 60% of the country's total electricity during that period.
China's coal-fired generation from January to June was 2,793.5 terawatt hours (TWh), which was up 2.4% from the same months in 2023 and the highest tally for the opening half of the year since at least 2015, data from energy think tank Ember shows.
However, coal's share of China's total generation mix declined to new lows during the opening six months of 2024 as output from clean power sources scaled new highs.
Total clean electricity generation was 1,751.4 TWh during the first half of 2024, nearly 17% more than in the first half of 2023. Clean power sources generated a record 37.3% share of China's total electricity during the opening half of the year.
Sharply higher output from clean sources allowed China's power producers to curtail electricity output from fossil fuels so far in 2024 while lifting total electricity supplies to a record during the opening half of the year.
CLEAN DRIVERS
Double-digit growth in electricity generation by hydro dams, solar parks and wind farms were the main catalysts behind the surge in clean generation this year.
Hydro dams were the largest single source of clean electricity, generating 558.1 TWh, Ember data shows.
That tally was nearly 22% more than during the opening half of 2023, and the highest during the first half of a year since at least 2015.
Wind output also hit a record for January through June, generating 525.3 TWh and 10.4% more than the same months a year ago.
Solar output during the opening half of 2024 jumped 39.4% from the same months a year ago to 378.4 TWh, Ember data shows.
Output from China's nuclear plants during the opening six months of 2024 was 212.26 TWh, largely flat from a year ago, while production from bioenergy facilities was down by 6.2% to 77.3 TWh.
FOSSIL CUTS
While coal-fired output during the first half was up from the opening half of 2023, it was down notably from the second half of 2023 due to reduced demand for heating and sluggish industrial electricity consumption so far this year.
Coal-fired generation was 8% down from the latter half of 2023, while natural gas-fired generation was down 10.6%.
The share of China's total electricity generation from fossil fuels was 62.7% during the opening half of 2024, compared to a 65% share during the latter half of 2023 and 65.7% during the first half of 2023.
With generation capacity from renewable energy sources set to continue to expand over the latter months of 2024, the share of clean power generation in China's electricity mix looks set to grow further this year.
Between 2018 and 2023, total clean electricity generation capacity in China increased by 104%, compared to a 21% rise in fossil fuel generation capacity over the same period, Ember data shows.
Solar generation capacity has expanded by an average annual rate of 30% from 2018 through 2023, while wind generation capacity has grown by an average rate of 18% a year over that period.
Those capacity increases have yielded similar rises in generation, which if matched in 2024 would push both solar and wind output to fresh records for the year and would further lift clean power's share of the electricity generation mix.
EMISSIONS TOLL
As a result of greater clean electricity generation and slowing growth in output from fossil fuel power plants, the rate of growth in China's power sector emissions has slowed.
Total power sector emissions from the use of fossil fuels was 2.826 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) and equivalent gases during the opening half of 2024.
That is up 2.4% from the same months in 2023, but is down from the 4% average annual pace of emissions growth seen during the past five years.
If power producers continue to roll out additional clean power over the remainder of 2024, total emissions growth for the year as a whole could clock in at well below 4%, and set the stage for a steady reduction in China's power emissions by the end of the decade.
The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.
China lifts clean electricity generation to record highs in H1 2024 https://tmsnrt.rs/3zOA2tS
China electricity generation by source & power sector emissions https://tmsnrt.rs/3LDlD6y
Reporting by Gavin Maguire; Editing by Jamie Freed
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