China's energy supply – in brief

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), China meets 17 percent of its primary energy needs with oil and 3.4 percent with gas. In comparison, the 27 countries that make up the EU rely on oil for 35 percent of their needs and gas for 25 percent. The main energy source in China is coal, which is used to generate 67 percent of the country’s energy supply. Beijing is now investing heavily in the nuclear sector, but for the time being, it delivers significantly less energy than it does in the U.S. and the EU. Supplying 12 percent of China‘s energy needs, renewable energy is a stronger industry than it is in Europe (10 percent) and the U.S. (6 percent). Nine percent of this energy comes from biomass, biogas and biodegradable waste and 2.3 percent from hydropower, while wind power, solar power, geothermal power and tide and wave power provide 0.5 percent.