China speeds up renewables building spree: Report July 9, 2025

Solar panels and wind turbines are seen at the Huaneng Binzhou new energy power generation project in Binzhou, in China's eastern Shandong province on June 11, 2025. (AFP/AFP)

By AFP - Agence France Presse

China speeds up renewables building spree: Report

China is accelerating its record-breaking renewable energy drive, installing 1.5 times more wind and solar this year than last -- three-quarters of global capacity under construction, a report said Wednesday. China emits more than twice as much planet-warming greenhouse gas than the world's next biggest polluter, the United States, though its historical contributions to climate change remain lower. But it is also a global leader in renewable energy, adding capacity at a faster rate than any other country. This year alone it has 510 gigawatts of utility-scale solar and wind power under construction, according to the US-based Global Energy Monitor (GEM) -- 57 percent more than last year, when its installation far outstripped that of its closest peers. Beijing has announced plans for 1.3 terawatts worth of projects so far, nearly equivalent to its existing solar and wind energy capacity of 1.4 terawatts.

China now accounts for three-quarters of all solar and wind capacity being built around the world, the report said. Prospects Every Monday With exclusive interviews and in-depth coverage of the region's most pressing business issues, "Prospects" is the go-to source for staying ahead of the curve in Indonesia's rapidly evolving business landscape. The wind capacity currently under construction alone would be "enough to power about 120 million United States households", according to the GEM report. The report comes after a separate group of researchers said in May that China's emissions fell in the first quarter of 2025 despite rapidly growing power demand, thanks to soaring renewable and nuclear energy. Beijing has sought to position itself as a global leader on tackling climate change while its main rival the United States retreats from global cooperation under the administration of President Donald Trump.

The Chinese government has pledged to achieve a 65 percent reduction in carbon intensity -- or carbon emissions relative to GDP -- by 2030 from 2005 levels. President Xi Jinping pledged this year China's efforts to combat climate change "will not slow down" despite a changing international situation. He also said China would announce 2035 greenhouse gas reduction targets, known as Nationally Determined Contributions, before COP30 in November and that it would cover all planet-warming gases, not just carbon dioxide. However, China continues to invest heavily in coal power infrastructure, although analysts say much of it is intended as backup to renewable sources. China began construction on 94.5 gigawatts of coal power projects in 2024, 93 percent of the global total, according to a February report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air and GEM.

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