China expedites energy sector's green shift over decade

BEIJING — China has stepped up efforts to promote the green and low-carbon development of the country's energy sector over the past decade, an official report showed on Oct 8.

In 2021, the installed capacity of non-fossil energy power generation in China hit 1.12 billion kilowatts, accounting for 47 percent of the country's total installed capacity, according to the report released by the National Bureau of Statistics.

The installed capacities of hydropower, wind power and solar power generation all exceeded 300 million kilowatts last year, leading globally for another year, the report said.

Last year, energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product decreased by 26.4 percent from 2012, amounting to an equivalent saving of 1.4 billion tons of standard coal, it said.

The consumption share of clean energy also saw continuous growth. In 2021, coal accounted for 56 percent of the country's total energy consumption, down from 68.5 percent in 2012. In contrast, the share of natural gas rose from 4.8 percent to 8.9 percent during the period, it said.