Most of the electricity in China comes from coal, which accounted for 62% of the electricity generation mix in 2021. This is a big part of greenhouse gas emissions by China.
China sources most of its electricity from coal. In 2022, the fossil fuel accounted for 63 percent of total electricity generation of the country.
Currently, China's energy portfolio consists mainly of domestic coal, oil and gas from domestic and foreign sources, and small quantities of uranium. China has also created a strategic petroleum reserve, to secure emergency supplies of oil for temporary price and supply disruptions.
Coal supplied about 55% of China's total energy consumption in 2021, down from 56% in 2020 and 70% in 2001. Petroleum and other liquids is the second-largest fuel source, accounting for 19% of the country's total energy consumed in 2021.
Coal remains the foundation of the Chinese energy system, covering close to 70 percent of the country's primary energy needs and representing 80 percent of the fuel used in electricity generation. China produces and consumes more coal than any other country.
Since 1993, China has been a net importer of crude oil, and in 2017, it surpassed the United States as the largest importer in the world. About 67.3 percent of China's crude oil supply in 2019 came from imports. This dependence on foreign energy is likely to increase.
China produces most of the thermal coal (both black and brown coal) it burns, but imports coking coal to make high quality steel. Inner Mongolia, Shanxi and Shaanxi are the main coal-producing provinces, and most coal is found in the north and northwest of the country.
China is the world's largest consumer of electricity, using over 5.934 trillion kWh of energy annually. China accounts for almost one-quarter of global energy consumption.
China is the largest consumer of primary energy in the world, using some 157.65 exajoules in 2021. This is far more than was consumed by the United States, which ranks second. The majority of primary energy fuels are still derived from fossil fuels such as oil and coal.
China is the world's largest consumer, producer and importer of coal, with its consumption and production each accounting for around half of the global totals.
China is on track to produce almost three times more power from wind turbines and solar panels than the government has targeted to have in place by the end of the decade – and it could become energy self-sufficient by 2060.
China is becoming more self-sufficient in energy supplies thanks to rising domestic oil and gas production in recent years, with the energy self-sufficiency rate reaching more than 80 percent in 2021, according to a recent report.
Russia also supplies oil to China via the major East Siberia Pacific Ocean pipeline, transit through Kazakhstan and via tanker.
Australia possesses the world's largest low-cost uranium resource, and it is the world's third largest uranium producer.
Imports In 2021, China imported $254M in Electricity, becoming the 42nd largest importer of Electricity in the world.
The United States used to be China's largest agricultural supplier, but its position weakened following the U.S.-China trade war in 2018. In 2021, Brazil replaced the United States as China's largest agricultural supplier, providing 20 percent of China's agricultural imports.
China consumes by far the most electricity of any country in the world, with more than 7.8 terawatt-hours consumed in 2021. The United States ranked as the second-leading electricity consumer that year, with nearly 4,000 terawatt hours consumed.
China is the world's largest electricity producing country, followed by the United States and India.
South Sudan ranked as the least-electrified country in the world in 2020, with only 7.2 percent of its population having access to electricity.
Germany is the top country by electricity exports in the world. As of 2021, electricity exports in Germany was 70.24 billion kilowatthours that accounts for 9.26% of the world's electricity exports.
China has the greatest number of coal-fired power stations of any country or territory in the world.
The significance of Australian coal to China. High-quality Australian coal is highly desired by China's steelmakers and power plants, and as per Bloomberg's informers, imports of Australian coal may reach 1 million tons in the first half of March itself.
China Buys More Australian Coal as Appetite for Quality Builds. Australian coal continues to make inroads among Chinese buyers, adding to pressure on domestic prices, with new shipments climbing to their highest level since Beijing halted imports in the fall of 2020.
With China said to be angry at Australia for calling for an international investigation into the origin of the Covid-19 pandemic, it implemented a de facto ban on imports of Australian coal, leaving scores of ships stranded and tens of thousands of tons of coal unsold.