China generated less than half of its electricity from coal for the first time in early 2026. Coal supplied 49.7% of power, down from 65.5% in 2016, while renewables reached a record 41.2%. Wind and solar alone produced 24.6%, reflecting China’s enormous investment in clean energy. The milestone signals a structural shift in the world’s largest electricity market. Yet the transition remains incomplete: rapidly rising demand from industry, electric vehicles and data centres means total coal consumption could still increase despite its declining share. Reuters