China's Coal Consumption Reaches Record High in First Half of 2025 Despite Renewable Energy Growth

A recently published environmental research report has revealed that China combusted record levels of coal in the first half of 2025. The joint report found that even though the country's renewable energy capacity has expanded significantly, coal-fired power plants in China burned more coal in H1 2025 compared to any other six-month period since 2016.

This development is particularly significant given that China is home to some of the leading electric vehicle manufacturers taking the competition to their American rivals like Bollinger Innovations, Inc. (NASDAQ: BINI). The record coal consumption raises questions about whether the clean technologies being developed can have a meaningful impact on global emissions when the manufacturing process itself relies heavily on fossil fuels.

The report's findings highlight the complex challenge facing China's energy transition. While the country has made substantial investments in renewable energy infrastructure, the continued reliance on coal for power generation underscores the difficulty of rapidly decarbonizing an economy of China's scale and industrial output.

Environmental analysts note that this record coal consumption occurs despite China's position as a global leader in renewable energy installation. The apparent contradiction between clean technology manufacturing and fossil fuel dependency presents a significant hurdle for global climate goals, particularly as China's manufacturing sector continues to expand its production of green technologies for domestic use and export markets.

The implications extend beyond China's borders, affecting global carbon emissions targets and potentially undermining the environmental benefits of electric vehicles and other clean technologies manufactured using coal-generated electricity. This development may influence international climate negotiations and raise questions about the carbon footprint of the global supply chain for green technologies.