China's coal consumption picked up in 2017 for the first time since 2013

China's coal consumption picked up last year for the first time since 2013, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, even as the government promoted low-polluting energy sources
.

China's coal consumption picked up in 2017 for the first time since 2013

The National Bureau of Statistics said in its annual National Socio-Economic Development Bulletin that coal consumption in 2017, the world's largest coal consumer, increased by 0.
4% year-on-year in absolute terms, but did not give a value
for total coal consumption.

Coal consumption fell 1.
6 percentage points to 60.
4 percent last year, while the share of clean energy, including natural gas and renewables, rose 1.
3 percentage points from 2016 to 20.
8 percent
, the communiqué showed.

This shows that China is continuing to deliver on its commitments to decarbonize its economy and reduce air pollution
.
China has pledged to reduce coal consumption to less than
58% of its total energy consumption by 2020.

Carbon intensity is the level of
carbon emissions from economic growth.
In 2017, carbon intensity decreased by 5.
1%
year-on-year.
Total energy consumption rose 2.
9% to 4.
49 billion tonnes of standard coal equivalent, still below the 2020 target
of 5 billion tonnes.

"Fortunately, the slight increase in coal demand in China has hardly changed the overall trend
of declining market demand.
" Harri Lammi, global coal activist at Greenpeace, said: "With the transition of the energy structure and the rise of renewable energy, China will continue to move away from fossil fuels
.
”

According to the National Energy Administration, by the end of 2017, China's installed wind power capacity was 163.
7 GW and solar installed capacity was 130.
3 GW, up 10.
5% and 68.
7%
year-on-year, respectively.

As part of its campaign to combat air pollution, Beijing ordered nearly 4 million households in the north to switch coal to electricity or natural gas in 2017, so natural gas and renewable energy consumption also increased
.

Last year, the average level of major atmospheric pollutants dropped
significantly.
In the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, where the smog is severe, PM2.
5 concentrations fell by 39.
6% to 64 micrograms per cubic meter
.

China aims to meet stricter air quality targets between 2018 and 2020 and continues to push for the transition
from coal to clean energy.

，