Wind turbines are installed in Nagqu, Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, at an altitude of more than 5,200 meters on September 12, 2024. This 100-megawatt facility is the world's highest-altitude wind power project currently under construction. The project will be fully completed and operational by late October. It is expected to generate an additional 223 million kilowatt-hours of clean electricity annually. Photo: VCG

China's energy self-sufficiency rate has remained at about 80 percent in 2024, thanks to enhanced national energy security guarantee capacity and green low-carbon development, according to a national energy work conference held on Sunday, China Media Group (CMG) reported, adding that the country's scale of nuclear power in operation and under construction has risen to the first in the world.

Data from the National Energy Administration (NEA) expected national coal production to reach about 4.76 billion tons for the year 2024. Crude oil production is expected to rebound for the sixth consecutive year, with natural gas production expected to increase by more than 10 billion cubic meters for eight consecutive years, read the report.

In 2024, the proportion of intelligent production capacity in total coal production capacity increased to more than 50 percent. In addition, this year, the country transformed and upgraded 180 million kilowatts of coal power units and eliminated more than 8 million kilowatts of backward capacity, data from the NEA showed.

China's total installed power generation capacity totaled about 3.32 billion kilowatts in 2024, with a generation capacity of 10 trillion kilowatt-hours, representing a year-on-year growth of 5.7 percent. More than 300 million kilowatts of renewable energy have been installed, accounting for more than 85 percent of the new installed capacity, according to the CMG.

By the end of 2024, China had installed about 510 million kilowatts of wind power and 840 million kilowatts of photovoltaic power, with the utilization rate remaining at above 95 percent, data from the NEA showed.

This year, the scale of nuclear power in operation and under construction has risen to the first in the world. The "Hualong One" demonstration project has been fully completed and put into operation, and the No.1 unit of the large-scale advanced pressurized water reactor Guohe One nuclear power demonstration project was connected to the power grid and has begun generating electricity.

At present, the country has a total of 102 nuclear power units in operation and approved for construction, with an installed capacity of 113 million kilowatts, making China the world's largest nuclear-powered country, said the report.

Looking forward, the NEA said during the conference that the country will accelerate the planning and construction of a new-energy system in 2025. 

China will approve the construction of a number of large-scale modernized coal mines with high intelligence and safety, striving to reach about 4.8 billion tons of coal production for the next year, CMG reported.

Moreover, the country will approve the commencement of a number of coastal nuclear power projects with mature conditions. It will steadily push forward the construction of nuclear power projects under construction, so that by the end of 2025, the installed nuclear power capacity in operation can reach about 65 million kilowatts, the report said.

Global Times