China plans to accelerate the development of non-fossil energy, including nuclear, solar, wind, and hydropower, as the country seeks to minimize its reliance on fossil fuels and adopt more forms of renewable energy, authorities announced Tuesday.

The proportion of non-fossil power generation will constitute around 39% of the country’s total power generation by 2025, according to the latest five-year energy plan jointly released by the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration. Non-fossil power generation accounted for 33.9% in 2020 and 34.6% in 2021, according to China Electricity Council, a nonprofit association approved by the State Council.

The country will accelerate the construction of large-scale wind and solar power base projects, promote the construction of offshore wind power bases, and further develop solar thermal power generation by 2025, according to the new plan. The initiative aims to secure energy supplies, improve energy efficiency, and accelerate a low-carbon transition, among others.

China is also set to increase investment in energy research and development by 7% between 2021 through 2025, according to the plan. The country expects to lower its energy consumption per unit of GDP by 13.5%, while increasing the share of non-fossil energy consumption to around 20% by 2025 — up 4.1% from the previous five-year plan.

Last year, China’s energy consumption grew faster than expected, outpacing the supply chain’s ability to meet demand. This led to rolling power outages in multiple provinces, with households and businesses experiencing disruption in power supply.

Editor: Bibek Bhandari.

(Header image: VCG)