China's Installed Power Generation Capacity Exceeds 4 Billion Kilowatts for the First Time
According to WeiDu News, on June 25, the National Energy Administration released national electricity statistics for January through May.
As of the end of May, the nation's cumulative installed power generation capacity stood at 4.01 billion kilowatts, an increase of 11.0% year-over-year. Of this total, solar power capacity reached 1.26 billion kilowatts, up 16.3% year-over-year, while wind power capacity reached 660 million kilowatts, up 17.0% year-over-year.
From January through May, the cumulative average utilization hours of power generation equipment nationwide were 1,155 hours, a decrease of 95 hours compared to the same period last year.
As of the end of May 2026, the nation's total installed power generation capacity reached 4.01 billion kilowatts, exceeding the combined installed capacity of the United States, the European Union, India, Japan, and Russia. From 2010 to 2025, China's installed power generation capacity grew at an average annual rate of 9.7%, higher than that of the United States (1.7%), the European Union (3.2%), India (7.1%), Japan (2.9%), and Russia (1.2%).
In terms of the structure of installed capacity, non-fossil energy capacity grew rapidly, becoming the dominant source of new capacity. The share of coal-fired power generation capacity fell from 61% in 2010 to 32% in May 2026; the share of non-fossil energy capacity rose from 25% in 2010 to 62% in May 2026; since 2010, new non-fossil energy capacity has accounted for 74% of all new capacity; the share of renewable energy in installed capacity rose from 24% in 2010 to 61% in May 2026; since 2010, new renewable energy capacity has accounted for 73% of all new installed capacity. Among these, new wind and solar power capacity accounted for 21% and 43%, respectively, of all new installed capacity.
In terms of growth rate, the time required to add 1 billion kilowatts of new installed power generation capacity in China has been steadily decreasing. In 2011, China's installed power generation capacity exceeded 1 billion kilowatts (1.06 billion kilowatts); in 2019, it surpassed 2 billion kilowatts (2.01 billion kilowatts); in April 2024, it exceeded 3 billion kilowatts (3.01 billion kilowatts); and by the end of May 2026, it surpassed 4 billion kilowatts. The time required to add each additional 1 billion kilowatts has shortened from 8 years and 5 years to approximately 2 years.
