According to the National Energy Administration, China has achieved phased milestones in clean coal power development: The national targets for ultra-low emissions retrofits and energy-saving upgrades of coal-fired power plants under the 13th Five-Year Plan were completed two years ahead of schedule, establishing the world's largest clean coal power supply system. Simultaneously, in 2018, China significantly improved the utilization rate of renewable energy—including hydropower, wind, solar, and biomass power—with curtailment rates for hydro, wind, and solar dropping markedly. These advances underscore how China's clean energy transition is accelerating with unstoppable momentum.
Since 2014, China's coal power sector has achieved remarkable progress through ultra-low emissions retrofits and energy-saving upgrades: annual emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO?), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and particulate matter have plummeted, while standard coal consumption per unit of power supply has consistently declined. Today, coal power has evolved into a fundamental power source—delivering secure, clean, efficient, and reliable electricity while providing critical flexible regulation capacity. These advancements significantly contribute to cleaner energy development and have played a pivotal role in combating air pollution.
Coal power units with ultra-low emissions retrofits reach 700 million kilowatts
Since 2014, China has vigorously implemented ultra-low emissions retrofits and energy-saving upgrades for coal power units to advance clean coal utilization and achieve high-efficiency, low-emission development in the coal power sector. By the end of the third quarter of 2018, over 700 million kilowatts (70 GW) of coal power units had completed ultra-low emissions retrofits, exceeding the national target of 580 million kilowatts ahead of schedule. Including newly built ultra-low emission units, China's total ultra-low emission coal power capacity surpassed 750 million kilowatts (75 GW). Additionally, energy-saving upgrades covered 650 million kilowatts (65 GW), with 350 million kilowatts completed during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016–2020), surpassing the target of 340 million kilowatts.
'Coal power is China’s primary power source for ensuring electricity supply and simultaneously represents a clean, efficient utilization pathway for coal,' stated an official from the National Energy Administration’s Power Department. In recent years, the coal power industry has proactively transformed its development model. Through ultra-low emissions retrofits and energy-saving upgrades, it has significantly reduced pollutant emissions and energy consumption, further enhancing high-efficiency, clean development.'
Official Data from the National Energy Administration reveals that by the end of the third quarter of 2018, China had completed ultra-low emissions retrofits for over 700 million kilowatts (70 GW) of coal power units. Including newly built ultra-low emission units, the total capacity meeting ultra-low emission standards exceeded 750 million kilowatts (75 GW), accounting for over 75% of the nation's total coal power capacity. Additionally, energy-saving upgrades covered 650 million kilowatts (65 GW), representing more than 65% of all coal power units.
Since 2014, China's major power generation enterprises have proactively aligned with the phased deadlines for eastern, central, and western regions outlined in national action plans and implementation guidelines. They formulated plant-specific retrofit plans based on the "one plant, one strategy" principle, developing tailored technical solutions. Breakthroughs include advanced dust removal technologies, high-efficiency desulfurization and denitrification systems, and monitoring devices for ultra-low emissions—all achieving industrial-scale application.
In advancing energy-saving retrofits, relevant authorities and enterprises have proactively formulated rolling plans for energy conservation and consumption reduction upgrades. These initiatives include conducting comprehensive diagnostics of energy consumption indicators and addressing identified issues through management enhancements, equipment improvements, and operational optimizations—all aimed at continuously boosting the economic performance of power generation units. Mature technologies are being widely deployed, while focused efforts tackle technical challenges via innovations such as supercritical unit retrofits and waste-heat recovery from circulating water for district heating. To incentivize coal power enterprises to implement these upgrades, the state has introduced a suite of support policies.
According to statistics from the China Electricity Council, between 2012 and 2017, China's coal-fired power capacity increased by 30%, while emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO?), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and particulate matter from the power sector decreased by 86%, 89%, and 85%, respectively.
'We enforce stringent emission standards. Post-retrofit, coal-fired power plants now achieve emission levels for particulate matter, SO?, and NOx comparable to those of natural gas-fired plants,' stated Zhu Fahua, Director of the State Power Environmental Protection Research Institute.
Experts emphasize that the power sector—with its centralized pollutant sources, manageable operations, and rapid results—is ideally positioned to pilot ultra-low emissions retrofits. By leveraging policy mechanisms such as electricity pricing adjustments to distribute costs, these retrofits have dramatically reduced air pollutants. This initiative not only contributes significantly to air quality improvement but also pioneers pathways and accumulates critical experience for extending ultra-low emissions retrofits to other coal-dependent industries. Ultimately, this accelerates China's transition toward cleaner, more efficient, and high-quality coal utilization.
Wasted capacities in hydro, wind, and solar power generation have been notably reduced
Data released by the National Energy Administration shows that in 2018, China significantly improved the utilization of renewable energy sources—including hydropower, wind power, photovoltaic (PV) power, and biomass power—markedly alleviating curtailment of hydropower, wind power, and PV generation.
According to Li Chuangjun, Deputy Director of the New and Renewable Energy Department at the National Energy Administration, curtailed hydropower reached approximately 69.1 billion kilowatt-hours (TWh) nationwide. Despite higher water inflows compared to 2017, the average hydropower utilization rate reached around 95%.
Wind power curtailment was concentrated in Xinjiang, Gansu, and Inner Mongolia. In 2018, curtailed wind power totaled 27.7 TWh, a decrease of 14.2 TWh year-on-year, while the curtailment rate dropped by 5 percentage points, indicating substantial improvements in historically severe curtailment regions.
PV curtailment was primarily observed in Xinjiang and Gansu. Curtailed PV power decreased by 1.8 TWh year-on-year, and the curtailment rate fell by 2.8 percentage points, achieving a "dual decline" in both volume and rate.
To address issues like subsidy gaps and PV curtailment exacerbated by rapid capacity expansion, the National Energy Administration optimized PV policies in 2018. Consequently, PV installations added 44.26 GW, ranking as the second-highest annual growth in history (after 2017).
By the end of 2018, China's renewable energy installed capacity reached 728 GW, a 12% year-on-year increase. Annual renewable power generation hit 1.87 trillion kWh, up by approximately 170 TWh, underscoring renewables' increasingly prominent role in clean energy substitution.
Accelerating the Clean Energy Transition
China, as the world's largest energy consumer, will maintain coal as its primary energy source for the foreseeable future. Studies confirm that decentralized and extensive coal use is a major contributor to air pollution. Coal-fired power, while serving as the backbone of China's electricity supply (accounting for 60% of generation), simultaneously represents a pathway for clean and efficient coal utilization.
According to the National Energy Administration, China will advance ultra-low emissions and energy efficiency retrofits in the coal power sector to build a high-efficiency, clean, and sustainable 'upgraded version' of the industry:
Continuously improve energy efficiency and reduce atmospheric pollutants by enforcing regional retrofit targets, with intensified efforts in western China.
Drive innovation in technology, industrial models, and development paradigms to enhance core competitiveness.
Scale up advanced technologies for ultra-low emissions and energy conservation, boosting equipment stability, reliability, and cost-effectiveness while minimizing ecological impacts.
Extend coal power retrofit technologies (e.g., flue gas desulfurization, NOx reduction systems) to other coal-dependent industries (e.g., steel, cement) to enable economy-wide clean coal utilization.
The Clean Energy Integration Action Plan jointly issued by the National Development and Reform Commission and National Energy Administration sets 2020 targets:
Wind power utilization rate: **≥95% with curtailment ≤5%.
Solar PV utilization rate: **>95% with curtailment <5%.
Hydropower utilization rate: **>95%.
Nuclear power: fully integrated with safety guarantees.
To achieve these, the plan outlines comprehensive measures:
Optimize power supply layout and control development pace of new projects.
Accelerate power market reform to leverage market-based regulation.
Strengthen policy guidance for institutional mechanisms favoring clean energy integration.
Maximize grid flexibility by enhancing power system regulation capacity.
Upgrade grid infrastructure to improve cross-regional resource allocation.
Li Chuangjun, Deputy Director of the NEA's New Energy Department, emphasized: 'In 2019, we will advance unsubsidized wind and solar projects, implement competitive allocation mechanisms, establish new renewable integration frameworks, and promote distributed renewable trading through power sector reforms—all to drive high-quality renewable energy development.
