According to the latest annual report of the China Electricity Council (CEC), the average coal consumption of Chinese coal-fired power plants, with an installed capacity greater than 6 MW, had fallen to 307.6 g/kWh by the end of 2018. CO2 emissions from thermal power plants amounted to 841 gCO2/kWh last year. Compared to emission values in 2005, this represents a decrease of 19.4%. Overall, from 2006 to 2018, emissions amounting to a total of 13.68 billion tons CO2 were avoided in the Chinese electricity sector. A large share of the emission reductions was due to efficiency improvements in thermal power plants (44%) and the expansion of clean energies (54%). Read more in CN
China issues National Climate Plan for 2026–2030
On 27 July 2026, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) and 18 other national authorities jointly issued the “National Climate Change Plan for the 15th Five-Year Plan Period”. The plan covers the period 2026–2030 and addresses mitigation, adaptation, carbon markets, product carbon footprints and climate governance.
The plan builds on the objectives of the general 15th Five-Year Plan (FYP) for National Economic and Social Development, adopted in March 2026, and of the State Council’s “Action Plan for Carbon Peaking during the 15th Five-Year Plan Period”, issued earlier this month. While the “Action Plan for Carbon Peaking” focuses mainly on energy and sectoral carbon dioxide (CO2) reductions, the new national climate plan also addresses non-CO2 gases, climate risk and the data systems needed to implement climate policy.
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