World Bank pledges $50 billion to expand electricity access in Africa. China completes world's largest renewable energy system
（2026/3/2—2026/3/8）
Author: Shu-Xin Zhang
International Energy News
1. World Bank pledges $50 billion to expand electricity access in Africa
The World Bank has announced a commitment of over $50 billion to a flagship initiative aimed at halving the number of people living without electricity in Africa. The program, known as "Mission 300," targets providing power to 300 million people by 2030. Since its official launch at a meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in January of last year, the initiative has already connected 44 million people to electricity.
In a statement, the World Bank said, "Tens of millions of dollars more will be allocated to this program by the end of 2026." The funding includes concessional loans from both the World Bank's own resources and the African Development Bank, as well as capital from other development finance institutions and the private sector. The mission aims to tackle one of the most significant barriers to development in sub-Saharan Africa, where nearly half the population—570 million people—lack access to electricity. This energy gap limits educational opportunities, stifles job creation, and hampers productivity in a region where 70% of the population is under the age of 30.
2. EU Approves €78 million Slovenian scheme to compensate firms for electricity costs
The European Commission has approved a €78 million Slovenian support scheme designed to compensate energy-intensive companies for higher electricity costs resulting from carbon pricing under the EU Emissions Trading System.
The scheme targets industries facing international competition that are heavy energy users, including sectors such as steel, aluminum and other metals, paper, and chemicals. It will cover 75% of indirect emission costs incurred between 2025 and 2027. Payments are scheduled for the year following the eligible period, with the final disbursement planned for 2028 to cover costs from 2027.
To incentivize energy efficiency, the aid amount will be calculated based on a facility's electricity consumption benchmark, rewarding the most efficient production processes. Eligible companies must also demonstrate that at least 30% of their electricity consumption comes from carbon-free sources. Furthermore, beneficiaries will be required to reinvest the aid in climate protection measures within two years of receiving the final payment.
The Commission deemed the measure necessary, appropriate, and proportionate to mitigate the risk of "carbon leakage," where heavy industries might relocate to regions with less stringent climate policies, potentially leading to higher global greenhouse gas emissions.
3. Northern Ireland's renewable electricity reaches 47% of consumption in 2025
Renewable electricity generated in Northern Ireland accounted for 47% of total final electricity consumption in the 12-month period ending December 2025, according to new data from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. This represents a 3 percentage point increase from the 44% recorded in the previous 12-month cycle.
The data shows that total final electricity consumption in Northern Ireland during this period was 8,755 GWh, continuing a slow downward trend seen since 2018. Regarding the power supply mix, total electricity generation stood at 8,178 GWh. Renewable sources contributed 4,073 GWh, almost matching the 4,105 GWh generated from non-renewable sources, with each accounting for 50% of total generation.
Wind power dominated the renewable energy mix, accounting for 72% of green electricity. Bioenergy (including biomass and biogas) was the second-largest contributor at 20%, followed by solar power at 6%. Landfill gas and hydro/tidal power each contributed 1%.
Despite the continued growth in local renewable generation, Northern Ireland still relies on electricity imports to meet demand. In the year ending December 2025, the region recorded a net electricity import of 578 GWh, a significant increase from the 92 GWh net import in the previous 12-month period.
Domestic energy news
1. China completes world's largest renewable energy system
Latest data from the National Energy Administration shows that by the end of 2025, China's total installed renewable energy capacity reached 23.4 billion kilowatts. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, China built the world's largest and fastest-growing renewable energy system, with the share of renewable energy installed capacity rising from around 40% to approximately 60%.
For the first time, the combined installed capacity of wind and solar power surpassed that of thermal power, increasing from 530 million kilowatts in 2020 to 1.84 billion kilowatts in 2025, crossing 13 hundred-million-kilowatt thresholds. New energy storage installations exceeded 100 million kilowatts, accounting for over 40% of the global total, effectively enhancing the stability of wind and solar power generation. The annual trading volume of renewable energy green electricity certificates surpassed the total of all previous years, accelerating the establishment of a mechanism to promote green energy consumption. Currently, green electricity accounts for nearly 40% of total societal electricity consumption, meaning that for every 10 kilowatt-hours used, nearly 4 come from green energy.
Meanwhile, the energy consumption structure is also progressing towards greener practices. China has built the world's largest electric vehicle charging network and is conducting pilot programs for vehicle-grid interaction in multiple provinces, transforming electric vehicles into "mobile power banks" and integrating green and low-carbon concepts into daily life.
Institutional and mechanism innovations are also injecting momentum into the transition. The green certificate and green electricity trading mechanism is continuously improving, effectively stimulating demand for green power. Market-oriented reforms for new energy feed-in tariffs are deepening, pushing power generation companies to improve efficiency and quality.
While achieving its own green development, China has also made significant contributions to the global low-carbon transition. China has formed the world's largest and most complete new energy industry chain. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, exported wind and photovoltaic products helped other countries reduce carbon emissions by approximately 4.1 billion tons.
2. Total primary energy production exceeds 5.13 billion tons of standard coal for the first time
In 2025, China's total primary energy production reached 5.13 billion tons of standard coal, surpassing the 5 billion ton mark for the first time, marking the best year for energy security during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period.
Non-fossil fuel power generation maintained rapid growth, with the increase in power generation from non-fossil sources accounting for 112.1% of the increase in total societal electricity consumption in 2025, the fourth time it has exceeded 50% since 2020. While wind, solar, and hydro power generation grew rapidly, thermal power played a greater role in providing baseload and regulating support. Its annual power generation was approximately 6.3 trillion kilowatt-hours, a year-on-year decrease of 0.7%, the first decline in a decade.
In 2025, China's fossil energy production structure continued to optimize. Coal production growth slowed, with raw coal output reaching 4.85 billion tons, a year-on-year increase of 1.4%, with the growth rate falling 3 percentage points below the average annual level during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period. The oil and gas sector achieved remarkable results in increasing reserves and production. Domestic crude oil production continued its growth trend, reaching 216 million tons in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 1.5%, maintaining stable growth after returning to the 200 million-ton platform during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period. The import structure was also optimized simultaneously, with source countries expanded to about 40, and annual import volume reached 578 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 4.4%. At the same time, natural gas production maintained a growth rate of tens of billions of cubic meters for nine consecutive years, reaching 262.06 billion cubic meters in 2025. Driven by the continuous increase in domestic production, natural gas imports decreased by 2.8% year-on-year to 176.46 billion cubic meters, and the external dependence rate dropped to 40%, the lowest level since the beginning of the "14th Five-Year Plan" period.
3. China's offshore oilfield achieves first large-scale application of low-altitude economy
The drone system operation project in the Beibu Gulf oilfield was officially launched on February 28, marking the first time China's offshore oilfields have achieved large-scale drone operations, providing a useful exploration for the integrated development of marine energy development and the low-altitude economy.
Currently, the project has been fully promoted across 41 offshore platforms and 2 onshore terminal plants in the Beibu Gulf area, establishing a drone operation system covering multiple scenarios such as submarine pipeline inspection, logistics delivery, and emergency security. The drones in service can conduct high-altitude rapid inspections of over 500 kilometers of submarine pipelines, efficiently identifying abnormalities like leaks and initiating emergency responses promptly. In terms of logistics delivery, drones can rapidly transport supplies such as spare parts to platforms and construction vessels, significantly improving delivery efficiency and reducing transportation costs.
According to CNOOC (China National Offshore Oil Corp), the industrial application of the low-altitude economy has completed over 3,600 kilometers of drone patrol and small-item logistics operations, effectively replacing some traditional vessel and helicopter operation modes, and increasing operational efficiency by more than 30%. The green and low-carbon benefits are also significant, saving nearly 15 million yuan annually in vessel leasing and fuel costs, and reducing carbon emissions by 25,000 tons, achieving cost reduction, efficiency improvement, and intelligent upgrades in offshore oil operations.
(Main news sources: CCTVNEWS APP, Xinhua New Media, International Energy Network, China Energy Network, National Energy Administration)
