Hunan transformed its energy landscape during the 14th "Five-Year Plan" period, shifting from supply shortages to relative abundance and from high-carbon consumption to cleaner energy use, according to the province's 2026 energy development report released on July 31.

The central Chinese province, which relies heavily on external energy due to limited coal, oil and gas resources, saw its energy self-sufficiency and import capacity reach 44.79 million tonnes of standard coal and 150 million tonnes of standard coal respectively by the end of 2025, up 12.4% and 3.2% from the end of the 13th "Five-Year Plan" period.

Stable power supply capacity exceeded 54 GW, up 20 GW from the end of the previous plan period, while coal supply capacity reached 110 million tonnes. Natural gas, crude oil and refined oil pipeline capacity reached 23.2 billion cubic meters, 8 million tonnes and 15.3 million tonnes respectively.

The province's energy consumption totaled 174 million tonnes of standard coal in 2025, up 1.4% year on year, with energy intensity falling 19.4% during the 14th "Five-Year Plan" period. Non-fossil energy accounted for 26.8% of total energy consumption.

Wind and solar power installed capacity surged to 40.91 GW from 10.6 GW at the start of the plan period, becoming the largest power source with average annual growth of 31%. Non-fossil power generation accounted for 52.8% of total output in 2025, ranking sixth nationally.

The province built 627,000 charging stations and completed its first hydrogen refueling station in Yueyang, marking its entry into hydrogen energy utilization.

Hunan also established a UHV AC-DC hybrid grid with two AC and two DC lines, plus three natural gas pipelines, positioning itself as a regional energy hub rather than a transmission endpoint.

For 2026, the report forecasts energy consumption of about 176 million tonnes of standard coal, up 1.3% year on year, with energy production reaching approximately 49 million tonnes of standard coal. Provincial raw coal output is expected to remain around 7.5 million tonnes, while the province's energy dependence on external sources is projected at about 72%.