BEIJING, April 27 (Xinhua) -- China has maintained stable energy supply and accelerated its green energy transition in the first quarter (Q1) of 2026, demonstrating strong resilience in its energy system amid a volatile external environment, the National Energy Administration (NEA) said Monday.
In the first three months, China secured safe and effective energy supply, with higher crude oil and natural gas output, stable coal production, and improvements in electricity supply, said Xing Yiteng, an official with the NEA, at a press conference.
In Q1, China's crude oil and natural gas output grew 1.3 percent and 3 percent year on year, respectively, while raw coal production remained stable compared with the high base in the same period last year, Xing said.
Xing noted that the country's stable energy supply was achieved by responding promptly to the impact of external emergencies on its energy supply, such as the crisis in Venezuela and the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict.
Responding to a media question on the impact of international coal price surge amid Middle East tensions, Zhang Xing, an NEA official, said that China's coal market has sustained steady operation, with ample inventories as well as stable supply and prices.
During the January-March period, China's raw coal production reached 1.2 billion tonnes, representing a year-on-year increase of 0.1 percent.
China, the world's largest energy consumer, has also quickened its pace in green and low-carbon energy transition, with both installed capacity and generation of renewable energy continuing to expand.
In Q1, China's newly added renewable energy capacity totaled 58.93 million kilowatts, accounting for 70 percent of all new capacity installed nationwide, Pan Huimin, an NEA official, revealed at the press conference.
Pan added that by the end of March, China's total installed renewable energy capacity reached 2.395 billion kilowatts, up 22 percent from a year earlier, accounting for 60.4 percent of total installed power capacity.
During the January-March period, China's renewable energy power generation reached 882.9 billion kilowatt-hours, accounting for approximately 37 percent of the total power generation.
This amount continued to sufficiently cover the combined electricity consumption of the tertiary industry and residential households during the same period, according to Pan.
The steady power supply has been secured as China's electricity use increased during the period, bolstered by robust economic activities, the NEA data showed.
In Q1, China's electricity consumption went up 5.2 percent year on year. Electricity use by the primary, secondary and tertiary industries increased 7.1 percent, 4.7 percent and 8.1 percent, respectively.
In particular, high-tech and equipment manufacturing sector posted strong electricity consumption, with an 8.6 percent increase during the January-March period.
Looking ahead to the summer peak season of power use, the NEA estimates that China's total electricity consumption will exceed 10 trillion kilowatt-hours in 2026, representing an increase of approximately 500 billion kilowatt-hours compared to the previous year, said NEA official Liu Mingyang.
The NEA will continue to strengthen daily monitoring and quarterly assessments of power supply and demand, and will continuously evaluate the impact of external factors on fuel supply to ensure a stable electricity supply during the summer peak season, Liu said. Enditem
京公网安备 11010802027341号