China’s Coal and Gas Power Output Falls for the First Time in a Decade

Power generation from coal and gas-fired plants in China last year went down for the first time in a decade, driven lower by alternative energy sources such as wind and solar, official data revealed today, as reported by Reuters. The decline was minor, at just 1% to 6.29 trillion kWh for the full year. In December alone, China’s gas and coal power generation output dropped by a more marked 3.2%. While modest, however, the annual decline in coal and gas output came in the context of higher overall electricity consumption, which added significance…