Global Context Matters

When it comes to energy, coal production and use, China is in a league of its own.

China generated over 10,000 terawatt hours of electricity in 2024. That’s more than the combined output of the U.S., E.U. and India—the next three biggest producers.

China’s electricity production has skyrocketed. Remarkably, as recently as 2010, the U.S. and China produced roughly the same amount of electricity. Now they all but don’t fit on the same chart.

From traditional industries to those at the leading edge, the scale of Chinese production and consumption is extraordinary.

China produces more than half of the world’s steel and cement. It also produces 70% of the world’s electric vehicles (EVs). Of the 17 million EVs sold globally in 2024, more than 11 million were sold in China.

Powering China’s industrial engine is coal. China not only produces more coal than the rest of the world combined, but it in fact also now consumes nearly 40% more coal than the rest of the world combined. That’s not a typo.

Renewable energy is growing rapidly in China, but coal remains China’s electricity workhorse, supplying more than 60% of the nation’s power. And Beijing is only doubling down.

China began building 94.5 gigawatts (GW) of new coal-power capacity and resumed 3.3 GW of suspended projects in 2024, the highest level of construction in the past decade. China also isn’t replacing or closing any of its existing coal capacity. Coal plant retirements dropped to just 2.5 GW last year. In other words, China remains firmly in an era of coal addition.

China’s coal generating fleet is now approaching 1200 GW. The U.S. coal fleet, for comparison, stands at about 175 GW.

India too is only deepening its reliance on coal to power its economy and tackle its ongoing fight with energy poverty. Already the world’s second largest coal consumer, India saw demand jump another 5.5% in 2024.

Coal now provides 74% of India’s electricity and state-run Coal India is working on further boosting domestic production, recently announcing plans to reopen 32 closed mines and launch five new greenfield mining projects this year.

As Asia goes, so does coal. Asia now accounts for more than 80% of global coal demand and underpins coal’s position as the world’s leading fuel for electricity generation.

Global coal demand reached a new high in 2024 and is likely to continue its ascent. Irreplaceable to energy security, affordability and for meeting rapidly rising energy demand, coal is a cornerstone the world is building upon. This is energy addition, not transition. It’s context worth remembering.