Abstract

Amid China’s continued emphasis on high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and international collaboration in green energy, Chinese overseas renewable energy projects remained active in the second quarter of 2026. According to the quarterly update of the Database of Chinese Overseas Renewable Energy Projects (D-CORE, d-core.iigf.com.cn), 101 projects and 35.1 GW of contracted capacity were recorded in Q2 2026, compared with 116 projects and 32.1 GW in Q2 2025 — a 12.9% year-on-year decline in project count alongside a 9.3% increase in contracted capacity, with the capacity growth largely attributable to a single 8.4 GW renewable energy cluster signed in Ethiopia. During the same quarter, energy storage overtook solar PV for the first time to become the most frequently recorded technology category, with 27 projects, signaling the continued rise of modular storage systems in the Chinese overseas renewable energy portfolio. Engagement in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) expanded from 15 projects in Q2 2025 to 23 in Q2 2026, an increase of 53.3%, reflecting the deepening involvement of Chinese firms in clean-energy cooperation with low-income markets.

This report draws on the Database of Chinese Overseas Renewable Energy Projects, jointly developed by the International Institute of Green Finance (IIGF) at Central University of Finance and Economics and the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), and provides a quarterly tracking of Chinese overseas renewable energy project activity for the second quarter of 2026. As of June 2026, D-CORE records 1,512 verified Chinese overseas renewable energy projects since January 2022, representing approximately 487 GW of contracted capacity. The report examines the characteristics of Q2 2026 project activity across technology types, geographic distribution, development stages, financing models, and leading Chinese firms, and provides in-depth case studies of two representative projects: the 1,000 MW Northern Interconnection Clean Energy Base (Phase I) in Laos and the 220 MW Biskra Solar PV project in Algeria.