China's strides in energy development over past 75 years

An aerial drone photo taken on Sept. 7, 2024 shows a view of the Santanghu wind power farm in Hami City of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)

BEIJING, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- China has made remarkable strides in energy development over the past 75 years, deepening its green, low-carbon transformation and continuously improving its energy utilization efficiency, a report from the National Bureau of Statistics showed on Thursday.

The following are some highlights of China's achievements in the energy sector:

-- China has become the world's largest energy producer. In 2023, its total primary energy output was 4.83 billion tonnes of standard coal, a 202.6-fold increase from 1949, growing at an average annual rate of 7.4 percent.

-- Since 2012, China's energy production has undergone a significant transformation, with the driving force shifting from traditional power sources to new energy. China's energy structure has also been transitioning from a heavy reliance on coal to become more diversified and cleaner.

-- In 2023, the proportion of raw coal in China's total production of primary energy decreased to 66.6 percent, and the proportion of crude oil fell to 6.2 percent. Clean energy sources such as natural gas, hydropower, nuclear power and new energy witnessed rapid development, with their proportion increasing significantly to 27.2 percent.

-- China's energy consumption has seen steady growth over the past 75 years. In 1953, China's total energy consumption was just 50 million tonnes of standard coal. The figure rose to 5.72 billion tonnes of standard coal in 2023, representing an average annual growth rate of 6.9 percent.

-- China's consumption of clean energy resources has accelerated since 2012, with their share in the country's overall energy consumption increasing from 14.5 percent in 2012 to 26.4 percent in 2023.

-- Energy consumption per unit of GDP has shown a downward trend. Since the 11th Five-year Plan period (2006-2010), it has been cumulatively reduced by 43.8 percent, decreasing at an annual average of 3.1 percent.