China's National Energy Administration said it issued 256 million green electricity certificates in February, a 5.44-fold year-on-year increase, according to data released on Thursday.

Of these, 162 million were tradable GECs, accounting for 63.32 percent of the total, and involved 64,000 renewable energy power generation projects, highlighting the rapid expansion of renewable energy verification in the world's second-largest economy.

GECs are the sole proof of the environmental attributes of renewable energy power in China and serve as the only certificate for verifying renewable energy production and consumption, according to relevant rules.

The combined trading volume of GEC last year reached 446 billion kilowatt-hours, a dramatic 364 percent increase year-on-year.

This means that roughly one-quarter of all new energy production realized its environmental value through the green certificate and green electricity market, said the administration.

zhengxin@chinadaily.com.cn