China approves 11.29 GW of coal power in Q1 2025

The new wave of coal projects risks Beijing’s energy transition goals.

China has approved 11.29 gigawatts (GW) of new coal power capacity in the first quarter (Q1) of 2025, a new research from Greenpeace East Asia showed.

In its analysis, Greenpeace said this was after China recorded a 41.5% decline in new coal-fired power plants approvals, reaching 62.24 GW in 2024.

With Q1 2025’s additions, total coal capacity approved since 2021 now stands at 289 GW — double the approved 145 GW from 2015 to 2020. Meanwhile, China’s installed wind and solar capacity reached 1,482 GW, surpassing thermal power’s 1,450 GW for the first time.

Wind and solar generation also, for the first time, outpaced the total increase in national electricity demand.

“Since 2024, we’ve seen a turning point where the wind and solar growth is outpacing coal. If this trend continues, renewables could meet all of China’s new electricity demand in 2025,” said Greenpeace East Asia Beijing-based climate & energy project manager Gao Yuhe.

She warned that continued coal approvals pose a risk, with eastern and western provinces having accelerated approvals since 2021. The top five provinces for newly approved capacity from 2021 to Q1 2025 are Guangdong (28.02 GW), Jiangsu (23.84 GW), Inner Mongolia (20.75 GW), Anhui (19.18 GW), and Shaanxi (17.39 GW).

Large-scale units, or those 600 megawatts and above, dominate approvals in Q1, accounting for 88.9% from 69.6% of newly approved capacity in 2024.

“There is already enough existing capacity to meet today’s peak demand. Approving a new wave of large-scale coal projects risks creating overcapacity, stranded assets, and higher transition costs. That will ultimately undermine progress toward a cleaner, more flexible power system,” Gao said.