BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s mostly coal-powered thermal generation fell 5.8% in January and February, statistics bureau data showed on Monday.
Thermal power generation was 1.02 trillion kilowatt-hours (kWh) in the first two months of the year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
China’s thermal power is mostly fuelled by coal with natural gas-fired power plants contributing a small portion.
Hydropower, China’s second-largest power source, rose 4.5% to 146.1 billion kWh.
China publishes data for January and February in a combined release to smooth out the effects of the Lunar New Year, which can fall in either month.
Last year, China’s thermal power generation rose 1.5% for 2024 as a whole, exceeding analyst forecasts on higher-than-expected power demand, although that was the slowest growth rate in nine years outside of the COVID-19 pandemic.
China’s coal consumption in 2024 rose in line with the increase in thermal power generation, up 1.7% on the year according to an industry association. Most of China’s coal is consumed in the power sector although coal is also used in industrial applications and for heating.
(Reporting by Colleen Howe; Editing by Tom Hogue)
