Global Power Surge: China's Dominance Expands, BP Report Reveals

London, August 3, 2023 - British Petroleum (BP) has unveiled its "2023 World Energy Statistical Yearbook," which showcases a remarkable milestone in global power generation. In 2022, the cumulative power generation across nations and regions soared to a historic high of 291,651 billion kilowatt-hours, marking a notable achievement. However, the growth rate has decelerated to 2.3%, falling short of the previous year's impressive pace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

China's Dominance in Global Power Generation Exceeds 30%

On a national scale, China's power generation for 2022 amounted to 88,487 billion kilowatt-hours, demonstrating a 3.7% year-on-year increase. This surge has propelled China's share of global power generation to 30.34%, surpassing the significant milestone of one-third. China maintains its leadership across various energy sources, including thermal, hydroelectric, wind, and solar power generation.

 

China's nuclear power generation remains a formidable contender on the global stage. With a nuclear power generation of 4,178 billion kilowatt-hours in 2022, China has once again overtaken France, securing second position worldwide. The United States retains the top spot with a nuclear power generation of 8,121 billion kilowatt-hours, while France ranks third with 2,947 billion kilowatt-hours.

 

While France has slipped to the third position in nuclear power generation, its existing nuclear power plants still possess a greater "installed nuclear capacity" than China. France's total electricity generation heavily relies on nuclear power, accounting for a remarkable 63%, surpassing China. France continues to lead among major nuclear energy-utilizing nations globally.

 

China's position as the global leader in both existing and planned nuclear power plant construction is noteworthy. A report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released earlier this year indicated that as of March 2023, there were 56 nuclear reactors under construction worldwide, with China, contributing 22 of them.

 

Furthermore, China has outlined ambitious plans for the construction of an additional 46 nuclear reactors. If successfully executed, this endeavor could lead to China surpassing the United States in nuclear power generation by the early 2050s, positioning itself as the world's largest nuclear energy producer.

 

Russia occupies the fourth position, with a nuclear power generation of 2,237 billion kilowatt-hours in 2022. South Korea follows in fifth place, generating 1,761 billion kilowatt-hours. Canada ranks sixth with 866 billion kilowatt-hours, Spain takes the seventh position with 586 billion kilowatt-hours, and Japan secures the eighth position with 518 billion kilowatt-hours.

 

Japan, which faced the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, witnessed temporary closures of its nuclear power plants. However, the challenges posed by coal, oil, and natural gas, coupled with elevated energy prices, prompted a resurgence of nuclear power in Japan's energy mix.

 

On a global scale, the United States recorded a power generation of 45,477 billion kilowatt-hours in 2022, marking a 3.3% increase from the previous year. This boost raised its global market share to 15.59%. India claimed the third position with a power generation of approximately 18,580 billion kilowatt-hours, reflecting an 8.4% growth and increasing its global market share to 6.37%.

 

As China, the United States, and India continued to elevate their global market shares, Russia and Japan experienced declines. Russia's power generation reached 11,669 billion kilowatt-hours, exhibiting a marginal increase of 0.9%, resulting in a decrease in global market share to 4.0%. Meanwhile, Japan's power generation reached 10,336 billion kilowatt-hours, growing by 1.4%, and its global market share declined to 3.54%.

 

Brazil achieved a power generation of 6,772 billion kilowatt-hours in 2022, while Canada reached 6,596 billion kilowatt-hours. South Korea generated 6,203 billion kilowatt-hours, Germany contributed 5,773 billion kilowatt-hours, and France added 4,677 billion kilowatt-hours. Among the top ten countries, only Germany and France experienced a reduction in power generation.

 

Following the eruption of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, several European countries closely followed the lead of the United States by expressing intentions to significantly reduce their reliance on Russian energy resources. However, the challenges of filling the gaps left by coal, oil, and natural gas-based power generation with nuclear, wind, and hydroelectric power generation have led to a decline in overall energy production.