NEA: China's thermal power capacity rises, utilization falls in 2025

China's thermal power capacity, dominated by coal-fired units with gas-fired generation a small share, grew by 6.3% in 2025, reaching 1,539.04 million kilowatts (MW), according to a National Energy Administration (NEA) announcement on January 28.

However, NEA data show that the average operating hours of units across the nation with capacities of 6,000 kW or above fell to 3,119 hours, lower by 312 hours or 9.1% from 2024. The 6,000 kW threshold is used to standardize statistics and exclude smaller, dispersed generators, Mysteel Global learned.