China’s use of coal for electricity grew in the first half of 2026 as a record amount of wind and solar power was wasted through curtailment, new research has found. The world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter brought 30 gigawatts (GW) of new coal power capacity into operation in the six months to June and coal-fired…
Wind and solar supply only about 20% of electricity transmitted through China’s UHVDC network, while coal accounts for 42%. China may need 27 new long-distance transmission lines by 2030, but its next five-year plan is expected to include only 10. Proposed megabase-linked lines combine 129 GW of wind and solar with 40 GW of coal,…
A gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China on Friday was the result of the company involved having committed multiple serious safety violations, according to a preliminary investigation by Chinese authorities. The announcement was made around the same time the incident’s death toll was revised down from 90 to 82, with officials apologising…
Welcome to Carbon Brief’s China Briefing. China Briefing handpicks and explains the most important climate and energy stories from China over the past fortnight. Subscribe for free here. New documents ramp up pressure on coal ‘STRICTLY CONTROL’ FOSSIL FUELS: On 22 April, China issued a set of “guiding opinions” on energy conservation and carbon reduction that…
When Gary Dirks arrived in China in 1995, the country’s government was looking to source more of its energy at home. Dirks was the incoming country head for BP, but efforts to find more oil and gas in the country had largely fizzled. So government leaders pivoted, Dirks said. China invested heavily in its domestic…
Planet China: Fourteenth in a series about how Beijing’s trillion-dollar development plan is reshaping the globe—and the natural world. QADIRABAD, Pakistan—Only a few weeks to wrap up a lifetime. The thought crossed Muhammad Imran’s mind and lingered as he prepared in November to depart the country with his family, perhaps for good. Disheartened by Pakistan’s chronic…
In 1865, when a British entrepreneur built a demonstration railroad near Beijing, Empress Dowager Cixi saw not progress but danger – of disruptions to feng shui, imperial graves and rural order – and had the tracks torn up. Two decades later, when a Chinese-built coal line threatened to steam too close to sacred grounds, Cixi’s…
Stock Market Today (Image Source: iStock) Indian equity indices finished Wednesday’s session firmly in the green, with technology names driving a broad-based recovery. The Nifty 50 advanced 142 points, or 0.55 per cent, closing at 26,052. The BSE Sensex followed suit, adding 513 points, or 0.61 per cent, to wrap up the day at 85,186….
(Bloomberg) — Chinese investors hunting for the next artificial intelligence winners are looking beyond high-flying chipmakers to the utilities and metal producers that form the industry’s physical backbone. The shift toward the sector’s supply chain — from power generators to materials used in data centers — reflects growing concern over lofty valuations in pure-play AI…
Almost exactly 10 years ago, a remarkable thing happened in a conference hall on the outskirts of Paris: After years of bitter negotiations, the leaders of nearly every country agreed to try to slow down global warming in an effort to head off its most devastating effects. The core idea was that countries would set…