This article looks at the decline in demand for coal in China as a result of multiple factors. The first factor is China’s general move towards renewable energies such as wind, solar, hydro, and nuclear power. China has been a global leader in the development and implementation of these technologies. The second major factor is the pivot in the Chinese economy away from industry-driven growth to consumption and service driven growth. Industry naturally requires a high volume of energy in order to power machinery and transportation. As multiple industrial sectors in China halt growth and actually begin to recede, this decrease the nation’s need for energy and in particular fossil fuels. “the amount of electricity China can produce from burning fossil fuels — fell by 9 percent last year, from 54.1 percent of its power supply in 2014 to 49.4 percent in 2015.” This trend is expected to continue over the next few decades and the peak of Chinese energy consumption appears to be within a few years rather than the global expectation set around 2030.
Source: http://www.climatecentral.org/news/china-coal-use-declines-electricity-demand-flat-19931