China's Ambitious Goals for Wind Power Growth

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China’s wind energy sector has set new, more aggressive targets for expanding its capacity through 2060, increasing the 2030 goal by nearly 63% from the previous plan established five years ago, as the country pushes toward long-term carbon neutrality.

The Beijing Declaration on Wind Energy 2.0, endorsed by over a thousand wind power companies at the recent China Wind Power 2025 event, outlines aims to reach 1.3 terawatts of installed wind capacity by 2030, at least 2 terawatts by 2035, and 5 terawatts by 2060. The initial declaration in 2020 had targeted 800 gigawatts for 2030.

Wind energy plays a vital role in the nation’s pledge to hit peak carbon emissions by 2030 and become carbon neutral by 2060. In 2022, wind power capacity increased by nearly 6%, adding approximately 79.82 gigawatts, according to data from the National Energy Administration. As of June 30, the country’s total wind capacity stood at 573 gigawatts.

The new declaration also calls for doubling the annual wind capacity addition during the next five-year plan period from 60 gigawatts in 2020 to 120 gigawatts from next year through 2031.

Recently, China revised its nationally determined contribution under the United Nations framework, proposing that non-fossil fuel energy sources make up over 30% of the country’s energy mix by 2035. This target implies a comprehensive overhaul of China’s energy system over the next decade.

Aligned with this goal, the declaration urges government authorities to accelerate reforms, promote restructuring within the power sector, and establish market mechanisms capable of supporting a high share of wind energy while fostering its growth through market-based approaches.

Analysts highlight that wind power has a notable advantage over solar energy in matching peak and off-peak electricity demand due to its complementary generation pattern.

Last year, the average cost of electricity generated from onshore wind farms was around 3 cents per kilowatt-hour—lower than the 4 cents for large-scale solar projects, according to a report by an institute under the Ministry of Water Resources.