context: As part of updated climate targets delivered to the United Nations, the PRC will target increasing wind and solar power capacity to 3600GW and raising non-fossil energy consumption to greater than 30 percent. This represents a historic opportunity for the domestic wind power industry to drive the green transition, but challenges abound in grid integration, insufficient storage and financing.
At the China Wind Power 2025 Forum in Beijing, the Wind Power Beijing Declaration 2.0 was officially released. The declaration calls for aligning with the implementation of the PRC's NDCs (nationally determined contributions), setting the vision for the country's total installed wind power capacity to exceed 1,300GW by 2030, 2,000GW by 2035 and reach 5,000GW by 2060.
Compared with the first edition published in 2020, version 2.0 elevates wind development to a climate governance project, shifting focus from capacity expansion to system capability building. It calls for simultaneous reforms in policy, investment, dispatch and market mechanisms to make wind energy a primary power source in the new power system.
The declaration focuses on four key directions
- setting phased installation targets to quantitatively support NDC implementation
- improving grid connection and consumption mechanisms, promoting coordinated development of storage, grid and dispatch markets
- accelerating offshore and distributed wind deployment to form a diversified energy mix
- strengthening the international voice of PRC wind power in global climate negotiations
The new competitiveness of wind power no longer lies in its levelized cost of energy, but in how effectively it integrates with grids, storage and markets. Looking toward the 15th 5-year plan, the declaration sets the tone for the coming years, aiming for annual wind additions of at least 120GW, with offshore wind accounting for 15GW. These figures demonstrate strong industry confidence and hint at the onset of a new investment cycle.
However, the blueprint also implies unprecedented implementation pressure. To grow from 1400GW in 2024 to between 3200–3600GW by 2035, the PRC must add 160–200GW of new capacity annually, with wind accounting for around a third. This means some 800GW of new wind power capacity must be built in the next decade. Annual investment may exceed C¥400 bn. This pace is equivalent to achieving the entire incremental capacity achieved during the 14th 5-year plan period every single year.
To realise the targets, wind power must overcome three key constraints
- grid integration bottlenecks
- requiring strengthened UHV (ultra-high voltage) transmission and cross-provincial market trading
- insufficient sotrage and peak-shaving capacity
- demanding large-scale deployment of battery and pumped storage
- project approvals and land limitations
- especially for coastal and inland distributed projects needing policy alignment
From an investment perspective
- achieving 3600GW of wind and solar could cost over C¥10 tn, with wind accounting for around half, and grid plus storage costs requiring an additional C¥3–4 tn
- funding must come from private capital via green bonds and carbon market revenue, in addition to state enterprises and policy banks
On the industrial side
- the PRC's mature wind equipment ecosystem provides strong support
- 10MW offshore turbines are now produced at scale
- blade localisation exceeds 90 percent and the average capacity of onshore turbines continues to rise
- AI based predictive maintenance, digital twin wind farms and flexible DC grid connects are enhancing resilience and stability