NBS: China's '25 power output rises 2.2% YoY, thermal posts first fall in decade

China's total power generation from all sources in 2025 rose 2.2% year on year to 9,715.88 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh), according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on January 19.

Solar power output soared 24.4% to 572.57 billion kWh last year, the data showed. In contrast, thermal power generation – mainly coal-fired – fell 1% on year to 6,294.55 billion kWh, marking its first on-year decline since 2015. During 2025, thermal power's share of total generation slipped further to 65.1%,