IEA: China's coal demand to rise 0.3% in 2024

China, the world's largest coal consumer, is expected to consume 4.898 billion tonnes of coal in 2024, up by a tiny 0.3% from a year earlier, according to the Coal Mid-Year Update issued by the International Energy Agency (IEA).

China's hydropower generation has been recovering this year from last year's exceptionally low levels and hydro, alongside the continued rapid deployment of solar and wind, should see growth in the country's coal use slowing down significantly this year, the report says. However, for the country's coal use to go into