- China’s coal production softens despite steady industrial demand
- Higher thermal power generation supports coal consumption
China’s coal and coke production trends remained mixed in April 2026, with raw coal output declining while coke production stayed stable amid steady industrial activity. According to NBS China, raw coal production was around 385 million tonnes (mnt) during April, down 1% y-o-y compared with nearly 390 mnt in April 2025.
On a m-o-m basis, China’s raw coal production recorded a sharper decline of around 12.5%, falling from approximately 440 mnt in March 2026. Average daily coal production during the month stood at 12.85 mnt.
During January-April 2026, China’s cumulative raw coal production reached around 1.58 billion tonnes, marginally down by 0.1% compared with the corresponding period last year.
Meanwhile, China’s coke production remained largely stable during April. The country produced 41.53 mnt of coke during the month, broadly unchanged from the same period last year. However, cumulative coke output during January-April 2026 increased by 2% year on year to 167.41 mnt, indicating relatively steady downstream steel and industrial demand.
Power generation records steady growth
According to NBS China, on the power generation front, electricity output from industrial enterprises above designated size reached 744 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) in April 2026, up 2.6% y-o-y. The growth rate accelerated by 1.2 percentage points compared with March, while average daily power generation stood at 24.8 billion kWh.
For the January-April 2026 period, total power generation reached 3,123.7 billion kWh, reflecting a 3.3% y-o-y increase. Among major power sources, hydropower generation rose by 12.2%, while thermal power output increased by 3.1%. Solar power generation grew by 7.1%, whereas nuclear and wind power generation declined by 8.7% and 5%, respectively.
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