China: Clean energy powers ahead

China's National Energy Administration has released statistics on power generation and clean energy power generation in 2024, and the transition is impressive. China's aluminium industry is gaining a huge advantage when it comes to moving to clean energy.

We are all familiar with the success story in Yunnan province. Despite recurring problems with drought, hydropower in that province is supporting several million tonnes of primary aluminium capacity. But that wasn't where the biggest growth was in 2024.

Guangxi province recorded an improvement of 40 per cent over 2024, with hydro, wind and solar all contributing. Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia also saw increases of over 25 per cent. Yunnan province saw a growth in clean energy of 15 per cent.

Apart from hydro, wind power is picking up in places like Inner Mongolia, which has vast plains. Solar energy is the main driver of the improvement in Xinjiang. Even PV energy is putting runs on the board in areas such as Ningxia.
Across the country, solar saw a growth of 40 per cent, while wind recorded a growth of 18 per cent.

Image credit: Yale E360