China renewable energy expansion and coal transition

China is expanding its renewable energy infrastructure both domestically and internationally. In Jiangsu Province, the Guohua Rudong project has connected a 60 MW / 120 MWh energy storage facility to the grid, marking the largest integrated solar-hydrogen-storage project of its kind in the country. Internationally, PowerChina commissioned a 96.9 MW photovoltaic project in Peru’s Nazca Province, which is expected to power approximately 230,000 households.

This expansion coincides with a strategic shift in China’s international energy investment. Analysis indicates that China has scrapped over 100 planned overseas coal projects following pledges to cease building new coal plants abroad. While approximately 7 percent of previously planned overseas coal plants were completed and 3 percent remain under construction, the majority of planned coal projects have been dropped or remain in the planning phase.

Domestically, China continues to scale up green energy capacity, such as a massive solar plant in Qinghai province utilizing molten salt. However, despite the growth in renewables, the nation maintains a heavy reliance on coal, with hundreds of new domestic coal projects planned for the future.