On-grid wind power generation capacity to rise

(Xinhua)

Updated: 2014-02-26

Wind turbines seen at the Bashang grassland at the border of Inner Mongolia autonomous region and Hebei province, July 8, 2011. [Photo / CFP]

BEIJING - China's on-grid wind power generation capacity will hit 90 million kilowatt (kw) at the end of 2014, from 77.16 million kw in 2013, the National Energy Administration (NEA) said.

The new capacity will bring about 175 billion kilowatt hours of electricity annually, the NEA said on Tuesday.

China added 14.49 million kw of on-grid wind power generation capacity in 2013, according to the NEA.

Wind power is now the third largest electricity source in China after thermal power and hydropower, taking about 6 percent of the total installed capacity.

Wind power installed capacity generated 134.9 billion kilowatt hours of electricity in 2013, up 34 percent year on year, contributing to 2.6 percent of the country's total generated electricity.

The country's total installed power capacity topped 1.25 billion kw at the end of 2013, up 9.3 percent year on year, according to the NEA earlier this month.

The country's installed power capacity will top 1.34 billion kw by the end of 2014, the China Electricity Council forecast said on Monday.

China's electricity consumption, a key indicator of economic activity, rose 7.5 percent year on year to 5.32 trillion kilowatt hours in 2013, according to the NEA.

The growth rate exceeded the 5.5-percent rise in 2012, but was lower than the 11.7-percent increase in 2011.