Thursday, November 21, 2019

China coal-fired power capacity still rising, bucking global trend

China raised its coal-fired power capacity by 42.9 gigawatts, or about 4.5%, in the 18 months to June, connecting new projects to the grid at a time when capacity in the rest of the world shrank, according to a study published on Wednesday.

China also has another 121.3 GW of coal-fired power plants under construction, U.S.-based research network Global Energy Monitor said in its report, nearly enough to power the whole of France.

To cut pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, China has promised an "Energy revolution" aimed at dramatically reducing its reliance on coal.

Environmental groups have accused Beijing of relaxing its efforts on coal, pointing to remarks in October by Premier Li Keqiang, who urged China to make greater use of its coal "Endowment" by building clean power plants.

China approved new 40 coal mines in the first three quarters of 2019, and it has continued to make use of "Green" financing to support coal-related projects.

China's total coal-fired power capacity stands at more than 1,000 GW. Global Energy Monitor said it needed to close more than 40% of that to meet greenhouse gas reductions required to keep global temperature rises well below 2 degrees Celsius.

"Right now there is a big argument about whether China needs more coal-fired power or not," he told Reuters.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climate-change-china-coal/china-coal-fired-power-capacity-still-rising-bucking-global-trend-study-idUSKBN1XU07Y

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