China now consumes more energy per person than Europe, according to the Energy Institute’s Statistical Review of World Energy.
This shift is driven by increased demand from China’s industrial sector, while European industrial energy consumption declines due to high prices.
Despite this rise in energy use, China’s carbon intensity has decreased.
The report highlights China’s leadership in both new coal power plant construction and additions of wind and solar capacity. Last year, China added more wind and solar power than the rest of the world combined, contributing to a reduction in its carbon intensity.
China also produced over half of the world’s coal last year, with India, Indonesia, and Australia contributing to 97% of global coal output.
China remains the largest coal consumer, accounting for 56% of the global total. However, India is rapidly increasing its coal consumption, surpassing the combined consumption of Europe and North America last year.
China has pledged to peak its carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2060. The substantial increase in wind and solar energy is part of this plan, though China continues to develop coal and nuclear energy as well.
A recent IEA report noted that in the previous year, China commissioned new solar capacity equal to the global total in 2022 and increased its new wind power additions by 66%. Chinese investments in transition technologies accounted for a third of the global total for the year.
