In the first three quarters of this year, with the deepening of energy supply-side structural reforms and the full implementation of various policies and measures under the 13th Five-Year Plan for Green and Low-Carbon Development, China’s energy production and consumption have seen positive changes. Clean energy has developed rapidly, energy supply has remained stable and sufficient, The energy consumption structure has been significantly optimized, with continued progress in energy conservation and consumption reduction.
1. Rapid Development of Clean Energy and Stable, Sufficient Energy Supply
In the first three quarters, the production of raw coal in large-scale industries showed a recovery growth, while clean energy sources like natural gas, nuclear power, wind power, and solar power developed rapidly, promoting the growth of energy production and meeting the demand for energy consumption growth.
Raw Coal Production Stabilized, Import Growth Slowed: In the first three quarters, raw coal production reached 2.59 billion tons, a year-on-year increase of 5.7%, accelerating by 0.7 percentage points compared to the first half of the year. Coal imports totaled 200 million tons, an increase of 13.7%, but this growth slowed by 9.8 percentage points.
Crude Oil: "Imports Replace Domestic Production," with Rapid Import Growth: Affected by the prolonged low international oil prices, domestic oil producers proactively implemented "imports replace domestic production" strategies, with planned production cuts being more common. In the first three quarters, crude oil production totaled 140 million tons, down 4.4% year-on-year, while imports reached 320 million tons, an increase of 12.2%.
Natural Gas Production and Imports Both Show Rapid Growth: With the ongoing promotion of domestic projects such as "coal-to-gas" initiatives, the natural gas market has seen a strong supply and demand dynamic. In the first three quarters, natural gas production reached 108.72 billion cubic meters, up 9.1% year-on-year, with the growth rate accelerating by 1.1 percentage points compared to the first half of the year. Imports totaled 48.38 million tons, an increase of 22.3%, accelerating by 6.4 percentage points.
Rapid Development of Non-Fossil Energy Sources: Nuclear power, wind power, and solar power have seen rapid growth. In the first three quarters, the generation of nuclear, wind, and solar power increased by 21.1% year-on-year, accelerating by 0.9 percentage points compared to the first half of the year. These sources accounted for 9.0% of total electricity generation, an increase of 1.1 percentage points from the same period last year.
2. Significant Optimization of Energy Consumption Structure, Continued Progress in Energy Conservation and Consumption Reduction
With the continuous deepening of the energy consumption revolution, China’s energy usage patterns have undergone ongoing transformation. The clean and efficient use of energy has yielded significant results, the energy consumption structure has been notably optimized, and energy conservation and consumption reduction continue to achieve progress.
Positive Changes in Industrial Electricity Consumption Structure: In the first three quarters, electricity consumption in the secondary industry grew by 6.0% year-on-year, with the growth rate slowing by 0.1 percentage points compared to the first half of the year. Its share in total electricity consumption decreased by 0.6 percentage points compared to the same period last year. In contrast, electricity consumption in the tertiary industry grew by 10.5%, accelerating by 1.2 percentage points, with its share increasing by 0.5 percentage points.
Significant Optimization of Energy Consumption Structure: Preliminary calculations show that in the first three quarters, national energy consumption increased by 2.8% year-on-year. The share of clean energy consumption, including natural gas, hydropower, nuclear power, and wind power, increased by 1.0 percentage point compared to the same period last year, while the share of coal consumption decreased by 1.1 percentage points.
Continued Success in Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction: Preliminary calculations indicate that in the first three quarters, energy consumption per unit of GDP decreased by 3.8%, laying a solid foundation for the successful achievement of the annual energy conservation targets.
