China targets 50% power generation from non-fossil sources by 2030

BEIJING: China aims to generate 50% of its electricity from non-fossil sources by 2030 under a new five-year plan for the energy sector, up from its 42.3% target for 2025.

The plan, released on Friday, also targets 30% of power generation from wind and solar by 2030, compared with 22% in 2025.

Analysts said the renewable energy targets appear conservative compared with China’s recent pace of deployment, suggesting actual additions could exceed official goals.

Greenpeace East Asia policy advisor Yao Zhe said power sector emissions could still rise during 2026-2030 if electricity demand continues growing by more than 5% annually.

However, Yao said the target remains consistent with China’s broader goal of peaking carbon emissions by 2030.

Under the plan, wind and solar will account for more than 50% of installed power capacity by 2030, reaching 2,700 gigawatts (GW). Their share stood at 47% at the end of 2025.

Yao said the capacity target implies a significant slowdown from the current pace of renewable deployment and may do little to support investor confidence at a time when renewable investment is already easing.

China, the world’s largest builder of renewable energy and biggest carbon emitter, also set a binding target to cut power sector carbon emissions intensity by more than 10% over the five-year period.

Carbon intensity measures emissions per unit of output.

Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air analyst Qi Qin said the carbon intensity target was modest.

Qi said if total power generation increases by 4% to 5% annually, carbon intensity in the power sector would need to fall by about 17% to 23% by 2030 just to keep total emissions from rising above 2025 levels.

The plan also aims to expand non-pumped hydro energy storage to 300GW by 2030, compared with an earlier target of 180GW by 2027.

China is also targeting renewable hydrogen output of 2 million metric tonnes a year by 2030, up from a previous target of 100,000 to 200,000 tonnes a year by 2025.

The plan reiterated China’s goal for coal consumption to peak by 2030, but did not specify a level.

It also listed “space-based power stations” as a future innovation area, potentially linked to plans for space-based data centres for artificial intelligence over the next five years.