Asia continues to maintain its leading position in clean energy production capacity. China's "north-to-south natural gas transmission" has surpassed 100 billion cubic meters.
（2025/07/14—2025/07/20）
Author: Shu-Xin Zhang
International Energy News
1. Asia continues to maintain its leading position in clean energy production capacity
According to the latest "Renewable Capacity Statistics 2025" released by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), global renewable energy capacity increased by 15% in 2024, with newly installed capacity reaching 582 GW. However, significant regional disparities in development have further widened the global energy transition gap. In terms of regional contributions, Asia maintained its leading position in newly added renewable energy capacity, accounting for 71%. Europe and North America contributed 12.3% and 7.8%, respectively, while Africa, Eurasia, Central America, and the Caribbean collectively accounted for only 2.8%. Regarding energy types, solar and wind power emerged as the absolute mainstays, accounting for 97.5% of the net newly installed capacity for the year. Notably, despite the record-breaking growth in 2024, there remains a substantial shortfall from the 2030 target of tripling global electricity generation capacity (to 11.2 terawatts). Based on the current growth rate, global electricity generation capacity is expected to reach only 10.3 terawatts by 2030, falling short of the target by 0.9 terawatts. In response, IRENA pointed out that to achieve the 2030 goal, renewable energy capacity needs to expand at an annual rate of 16.6% over the next less than five years.
2. Solar energy has, for the first time, surpassed nuclear and wind power to become the dominant force in the EU's energy mix
In June 2025, solar power accounted for 22.1% of the EU's electricity generation, overtaking nuclear (21.8%) and wind (15.8%) to become the largest power source—a record high that marked a 3.2-percentage-point increase year-on-year. At least 13 EU member states set new solar energy usage records that month, with the Netherlands (40.5%) and Greece (35.1%) standing out. During the same period, the share of coal-fired power generation in the EU fell to just over 6%, a historic low. Major coal consumers like Germany and Poland saw their shares drop to 12% and 43%, respectively, while Spain's coal-fired power generation fell below 1%, and ten countries, including Ireland, have completely phased out coal. However, fossil fuel use in the EU still rose by 13% in the first half of 2025, as natural gas plants compensated for declines in hydro and wind power generation at the beginning of the year, while prolonged drought reduced hydropower output by 15% compared to the previous year. The EU's total electricity demand also rose by 2.2%. Nearly 90% of Europeans want to see an increase in renewable energy, with local solar projects and lower electricity bills driving support for rooftop solar panels and shared solar initiatives.
3. India achieves 2030 clean energy target ahead of schedule, with non-fossil energy accounting for 50%
On July 14, 2025, India officially announced that the proportion of its installed capacity from non-fossil fuel energy sources had reached 50%, achieving the 2030 target set by the Paris Agreement five years ahead of schedule and marking an accelerated phase in its clean energy transition. Data shows that in the first half of 2025, India's renewable energy generation growth rate hit a new high since 2022, while coal-fired power generation decreased by nearly 3%. However, fossil fuels still accounted for more than two-thirds of the growth in electricity generation in 2024. Meanwhile, India plans to expand its coal-fired power generation capacity by 80 GW by 2032 to meet rising energy demand. Although India failed to meet its 2022 renewable energy target of 175 GW, it has since ramped up the addition of new installed capacity for solar and wind power. Currently, India aims to achieve 500 GW of installed capacity from non-fossil energy sources by 2030, including hydropower and nuclear power. Additionally, the government is actively promoting the development of battery storage, recycling of solar and wind energy equipment, and green hydrogen to deepen its decarbonization efforts.
Domestic energy news
1. China's "north-to-south natural gas transmission" has surpassed 100 billion cubic meters
According to the latest news, the cumulative gas transmission volume of China's "north-to-south natural gas transmission" energy corridor has surpassed 100 billion cubic meters, with over 2,000 days of safe operation. This marks China's first long-distance oil and gas pipeline with fully localized critical equipment and core control systems. The project originates in Heihe, Heilongjiang Province, in the north, and extends to Shanghai in the south, traversing nine provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities. Since the northern section commenced operation in 2019 and the entire pipeline became fully operational in 2024, it has maintained an average daily gas transmission volume exceeding 110 million cubic meters and an annual transmission capacity of 38 billion cubic meters, benefiting over 400 million people along the route and meeting the annual gas demand of 130 million urban households. This corridor is interconnected with systems such as the Northeast China Pipeline Network and the West-to-East Gas Pipeline, forming a "national unified grid" for gas supply. In the first half of 2025, it delivered 15.7 billion cubic meters of natural gas to the Yangtze River Delta region, accounting for one-third of the region's gas consumption. During the peak summer demand period, daily gas supplies to Shanghai, Zhejiang, and other areas reached 60 million cubic meters, a 4% increase compared to the same period in 2024, effectively alleviating summer supply pressures in eastern China. As China's first intelligent pipeline demonstration project, it integrates full lifecycle data and employs technologies such as fiber-optic early warning and geological hazard monitoring, upgrading to an integrated "sky-ground-space" intelligent pipeline management model.
2. China's largest underground gas storage cluster expands by 700 million cubic meters in capacity
On July 15, China's largest underground gas storage cluster—the Zhongyuan Gas Storage Cluster—underwent another expansion, increasing its scale to seven facilities with an additional storage capacity of 708 million cubic meters. This enhancement will bolster seasonal peak-shaving capabilities for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the Yellow River Basin, ensuring greater energy security. The newly commissioned Baimiao Shallow Gas Storage Facility, located in Heze, Shandong Province, has a designed capacity of 708 million cubic meters, with a daily gas injection capacity of 2.4 million cubic meters and a daily gas withdrawal capacity of 5 million cubic meters. During peak demand periods, it can meet the daily gas needs of 5 million households. The gas storage cluster regulates supply and demand through a "summer injection, winter withdrawal" model, earning it the nickname "underground granary for natural gas." The Zhongyuan Gas Storage Cluster is not only the largest of its kind in China but also features the most diverse range of storage types. According to relevant officials, during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, Zhongyuan Oilfield will construct additional gas storage facilities, with the total capacity of the Zhongyuan Gas Storage Cluster expected to reach 19.685 billion cubic meters.
3. Photovoltaic power generation included in power reliability statistics for the first time
Recently, the China Electricity Council released the "Annual Development Report on China's Electric Power Industry 2025" (hereinafter referred to as the Report). According to the Report, the equivalent availability factor of photovoltaic (PV) power generation in 2024 reached 99.84%, and PV power generation was included in power reliability statistics for the first time. In recent years, the installed capacity of new energy sources has continued to rise, with wind and solar power generation becoming the mainstay of the power system. By 2024, the cumulative installed power generation capacity across the country had reached 3.35 billion kilowatts, with wind and solar power accounting for 1.41 billion kilowatts, surpassing coal-fired power installed capacity for the first time in history. Without systematic supervision, such a vast installed capacity could trigger cascading operational risks. Relevant sources indicated that, building on the reliability statistics for wind turbines initiated in 2019, PV generating units were included in the statistics for the first time in 2024. By conducting statistical analyses on the operational reliability of wind and solar power generation equipment, it is possible to, on one hand, monitor the health status of the equipment in real time and prevent systemic risks; on the other hand, identify equipment vulnerabilities through quantitative indicator analysis, guide industrial technological innovation, and promote the transition of wind and solar power generation from a focus on installed capacity expansion to high-quality development.
(Main news sources: CCTVNEWS APP, Xinhua New Media, International Energy Network, China Energy Network, National Energy Administration)
