Green energy in China surpasses half of its total power capacity: State media

On Monday, China’s state media outlet Xinhua reported that the communist country has reached its green energy goal to have more than half of its installed electricity capacity come from fossil fuel alternatives by 2025.

China’s installed capacity for electricity is now 50.9% sourced from non-fossil fuel options such as wind and solar, according to the state run media. The nation has been aggressively pushing to hit its 2030 goal to peak emissions, with Bloomberg predicting that goal could also be reached early – this time, by five years. 

Green energy has been a focal point of governments around the globe, but China has been considered the undisputed leader in the renewable push. Of all global spending on renewable energy in 2022, Beijing was responsible for almost half – or $546 billion, according to a BloombergNEF analysis.

China's near-monopoly on green energy materials has sparked widespread concerns in the U.S. that Biden's own green energy transition presents national security risks, as dependence on China to supply the ingredients for green energy could give them heavy leverage over a renewable energy power grid.

At the same time, China has plans for about 100 new coal-fired power plants, according to Reuters. "Analysts question the logic of policies that intend to reduce the role of the dirtiest fossil fuel but at the same time require more coal-fired power plants to be built," according to the outlet, "especially given that only a small number of older plants are typically retired each year." 

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