China's wind energy industry makes big push to double installations each year

22/10/2025 04:25 AST

China's wind power industry is going all in - and fast.

Industry leaders just announced plans to double the number of new wind turbines it installs each year over the next five years, as part of the country's big push toward carbon neutrality.

Already the global leader in wind power, China's aiming to add at least 120 gigawatts of new turbines annually from 2026 to 2030.

That's twice what it's been adding on average since 2020, which was around 60GW per year, according to the National Energy Administration.

If this sounds like déjà vu, it kind of is - just on a bigger scale.

Back in 2020, the industry set a goal of adding 50GW a year between 2021 and 2025 - and it blew right past that.

So now, the target's even higher.

Earlier this month, engineers in Beihai, Guangxi, finished putting together the world's largest single-unit floating offshore wind power system - a 16-megawatt behemoth ready to harness ocean winds like never before.

Everything on this floating powerhouse - from the mooring cables and turbine gearboxes to the high-tech ballast controls - was made entirely in China, according to Science and Technology Daily.

It's a massive step in China's push to grow its marine economy and clean energy game - and this floating titan is leading the charge.

Boosting wind power
The new plan, released Monday, also aims to boost China's total wind power capacity to 1,300GW by 2030.

As of August, the country had already hit 580GW.

"China's rich wind resources offer huge potential," the declaration states, adding that the goal would help the energy sector lead the charge toward carbon neutrality.

Experts are calling the target "bold" - some even say it overshoots international forecasts by a long shot.

Ambitious target
"Those are very ambitious targets," Chim Lee, a senior analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit, told Hong Kong-based SCMP.

Still, there's a catch: Beijing's recent electricity pricing reforms have made new projects, especially offshore ones, less profitable.

So this new declaration is also a bit of a nudge to the government - the industry's way of saying they're going big, and in so doing, needs state support.

Carbon neutrality
China, the world's biggest carbon emitter, wants to peak its emissions by 2030 and hit carbon neutrality by 2060. Many experts actually think it could hit the 2030 target early.

And the momentum's there.

In 2024, China generated a whopping 3,460 billion kilowatt-hours of clean energy - nearly 40% more than in 2021.

By late September, Beijing had already raised its climate goals again, pledging to reach 3,600GW of combined wind and solar power by 2035 and get over 30% of its electricity from clean sources.

In short: China's wind industry isn't just chasing the breeze - it's trying to power the future.

AFP