China’s Still Building Wind and Solar Despite Risk of Waste

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Or sign-in if you have an account.q3y}weck5wixbp92ixiwkx0q_media_dl_1.png Global Energy Monitor(Bloomberg) — China’s construction pipeline for utility-scale wind and solar plants continues to outrun the rest of the world, even as the risk increases that some of the power generated will be wasted.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLYSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountThe country had about 262 gigawatts of solar and 251 gigawatts of wind under construction in June, according to a Global Energy Monitor report on Tuesday. Both numbers are up from the end of 2025 and show that China is maintaining its renewables pace, despite the massive slowdown in official installation data, said Aiqun Yu, senior East Asia strategist for GEM, which tracks energy infrastructure. The distortion has arisen after new electricity pricing rules from June 2025 led companies to speed up construction schedules to finish before the deadline, effectively front-loading installations. Overall building activity has remained relatively consistent, Yu said. Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again“If you look at the pipeline, the momentum never really slowed down,” she said. “We should never underestimate China’s willingness to build wind and solar capacity at this scale.”The construction pipeline portends a possible rebound in additions in the second half of the year. Despite China having only installed 60 gigawatts of new solar panels through the end of May, BloombergNEF is forecasting the country will end up with 255 gigawatts by the end of the year.The bigger risk to renewables is curtailment, when the grid forces wind and solar plants to shut down to avoid overwhelming the network with excess electricity. Curtailment rates have been rising across the country, but especially so in western regions where much of the construction is located, according to GEM. China is trying to solve the problem with what Yu called a “two legs” approach — building long-distance transmission lines to move the electricity east, while at the same time moving energy-intensive industries west to take advantage of the abundant power supply. While the approach makes sense, it risks further entrenching coal use unless it’s accompanied by measures that prioritize renewables, Yu said. China’s existing long-distance power lines already transmit about twice as much coal power as renewable electricity. Meanwhile, projects to build green hydrogen facilities to use excess clean power are at risk of being used as window-dressing for the energy transition, she said, allowing companies to meet regulatory requirements without putting much of a dent in heavily polluting industries like the coal-to-chemicals sector. Beijing’s first-ever five-year consumption roadmap, unveiled last week, has failed to deliver the bold measures needed to make personal spending the higher strategic priority that policymakers promised.Crowds rushed to an obscure corner of China’s premier tech summit, moving past monumental booths from Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Tencent Holdings Ltd. to catch a glimpse of the hottest name in domestic AI.A closely-watched gauge of China’s copper market has risen to the highest in more than a year, as a tax shake-up in the metal’s biggest market spurs a shortage of scrap and boosts demand for imports.Nothing major scheduledChina solar association’s mid-year seminars in Ningbo, day 1CCTD’s weekly online briefing on coal markets, 15:00China solar association’s mid-year seminars in Ningbo, day 2China’s weekly iron ore port stockpilesSHFE’s weekly commodities inventory, ~15:30EARNINGS: CATL(Updates with published items and diary sections)This advertisement has not loaded yet.Notice for the Postmedia NetworkThis website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. 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