Energy Supply Security across Chinese Provinces: Assessing Regional Disparities and Convergence Dynamics

• A 4A-based (availability, accessibility, affordability, acceptability) index assessed energy supply security across 31 Chinese provinces (2010–2019). • National energy security improved over the decade, with inequality declining notably after 2015. • Findings support the need for differentiated, region-specific policy interventions to align local energy performance with national resilience and sustainability goals. • Dagum Gini analysis revealed inter-regional disparities as the main source of inequality, though intra-regional gaps have widened in certain clusters.. • Accessibility and environmental acceptability remain key constraints in underperforming regions.. Energy supply security is a fundamental prerequisite for sustainable economic development and national stability, shaping how countries navigate energy transitions and regional imbalances. This study evaluates spatial and temporal disparities in China’s provincial energy supply security across 30 provincial-level regions (excluding Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and Tibet) from 2010 to 2019 using the “4A” framework—availability, accessibility, affordability, and acceptability—proposed by the Asia Pacific Energy Research Centre. A composite index was constructed via the entropy weight method, complemented by multi-indicator panel clustering and Dagum Gini coefficient decomposition to identify inequality sources, alongside σ- and β-convergence analyses to trace dynamic trends. Results show that China’s overall energy supply security improved by approximately 25 %, with the Gini coefficient rising from 0.174 in 2010 to 0.191 in 2015 before gradually declining. Inter-regional differences accounted for about 70–80 % of total inequality, while intra-regional disparities varied in direction and magnitude. Accessibility and acceptability remain the main constraints for lagging provinces. The findings highlight the need for differentiated regional policies that promote infrastructure connectivity, clean energy deployment, and balanced progress towards national energy resilience.