Coal power

All news and posts of our editorial team on the topic

Experts speculate about China’s true CO2 emissions
The COP interim conference in Bonn, beginning on 5 June, will include a global stocktake on the progress of international climate policy. Emission data plays a central role here. However, data collection is not easy. Many developing countries have made little progress in data collection in recent years. And even China, the world’s largest CO2 […] continue reading →
Coal boom is supposed to boost the economy
China has approved more new coal-fired power plants in 2022 than at any time in the last seven years. Are the international climate targets at risk? Chinese peculiarities such as low utilization of power plants and the rapid expansion of renewables give a reason for hope. But some risks to the climate remain. continue reading →
China’s complicated climate balance
China is reducing its greenhouse gas emissions too slowly. Despite massive expansion of renewable energies in the country, the People’s Republic is falling short of its climate protection targets to be able to make its contribution to limiting global warming by 1.5 degrees, according to the Climate Protection Index 2023, which was presented on Monday […] continue reading →
China continues to finance coal abroad
When China's President Xi Jinping announced a halt to the construction of new coal projects abroad at the UN General Assembly in September 2021, the global community breathed a sigh of relief. A year later, loopholes begin to show: even today, new coal-fired power plants are built with Chinese help. Nevertheless, the announcement remains a positive signal for climate policy. continue reading →
New coal-fired power plants for Guangdong
Five new coal-fired power plants with a total capacity of 6.7 million kilowatt hours are to be built in the southeastern Chinese province of Guangdong. Construction will begin as early as the end of September, and the power plants should then be connected to the grid by the end of 2024, reports the Chinese news […] continue reading →
Energy system is slowly becoming greener
China wants to increase the share of non-fossil energy sources in total consumption by an average of one percent annually by 2030. This is intended to achieve the climate target of using 25 percent non-fossil energy sources by 2030. This was recently announced by the National Energy Commission. Non-fossil fuels, including wind, solar, nuclear and […] continue reading →
Expansion of coal production mandated
China plans to massively expand its coal production. According to the business magazine Caixin, the People’s Republic will this year produce up to 200 million tons more coal compared to last year. To this end, Beijing has ordered several provinces to increase production to ensure a sufficient supply for the country.The background: China currently faces […] continue reading →
Coal as a risky bridging technology
To secure its energy supply, China builds new coal-fired power plants and massively expands coal production. Yet China claims to be climate-friendly. This is because the power plants are to be used as flexible backups for renewable energies. But even if the power plants are only operated temporarily, China's dependence on coal jeopardizes the Paris climate targets. continue reading →
Provinces increase electricity rates
Due to high commodity prices and to meet climate targets, two provinces have increased electricity rates for industrial companies. In Jiangsu, 30 companies that have not met their energy efficiency targets or used old equipment have been affected. They will soon have to pay seven cents more per kilowatt-hour. In Zhejiang, 600 companies in energy-intensive […] continue reading →
Measures against new power outages
China has urged provinces to ensure power supplies to enterprises. During a State Council meeting, Premier Li Keqiang said power outages should never be tolerated. The southern provinces called on coal-fired power plants to continue stockpiling. The backdrop is a projected increase in power demand at the end of the month should regional lockdowns end. […] continue reading →
Delays in nuclear expansion
China has big plans to expand nuclear power. But there are some delays. If the expansion is not accelerated, China could remain dependent on climate-damaging coal for even longer. The problem of nuclear waste disposal has also not yet been solved. continue reading →
Expansion of renewables reaches limits
China added more than 25 gigawatts of new renewable energy capacity to the grid in the first quarter of 2022. Wind energy capacity increased by 7.9 gigawatts to 337 gigawatts. Solar capacity saw an increase of 13.2 gigawatts to 318 gigawatts. This was announced by the National Energy Administration. New capacity of renewable energy reportedly […] continue reading →
China’s international coal-exit has a transparency problem
China has announced its intention to phase out financing of overseas coal-fired power. But the details remain unclear. For example, will China also stop projects that have already been started? Wawa Wang and Dr. Vanessa Buth from the non-governmental organization Just Finance International, which campaigns for more transparency in public procurement, reviewed China's numerous coal projects in the Western Balkans. They urge the EU and Germany to call on China to disclose its overseas coal policies. continue reading →
Coal giant invests in green power
China’s largest listed coal company, Shenhua Energy Co., wants to focus more on clean energy in the future. To this end, Shenhua wants to divert at least 40 percent of its annual investments into renewables until 2030.Last year, Shenhua had invested just 0.08 percent of its spending on renewable energy. The company is part of […] continue reading →
300 million tons more coal
China plans to massively expand its coal mining. This is part of the government’s plan to drastically reduce its dependence on imports. However, this step would make it almost impossible to achieve its short-term climate protection measures.As the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) told officials in the major mining regions last week, domestic production […] continue reading →
Energy: Is China profiting from Russia’s war?
Russia's invasion of Ukraine also affects China's energy policy. In the short term, China could increase its imports of Russian coal and gas. But the People's Republic will not allow itself to become dependent on Russia – because China is striving for energy security, as the National People's Congress once again illustrated. A resurgence of coal is likely. continue reading →
China builds new coal-fired power plants
Since the beginning of the year, Chinese authorities have granted construction permits for five new large coal-fired power plants. These power plants are expected to replace a large number of smaller, less efficient coal-fired power plants that have been taken offline in recent months, as Carbon Brief reports. According to the report, 141 small coal-fired […] continue reading →
China’s hidebound power sector hinders energy transition
China's power sector has gained much attention since last year. On the one hand, the People's Republic launched its emissions trading scheme in the summer, which so far has only covered the power sector. At the same time, the country was hit by a severe power crisis. Many of the causes lie in the sector's outdated structure, which is also hampering China's planned energy transition. continue reading →