Coal power in China
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Coal power in China is electricity generated from coal in China and is distributed by the State Power Grid Corporation. It is a big source of greenhouse gas emissions by China.
China's installed coal-based power generation capacity was 1080 GW in 2021,[1] about half the total installed capacity of power stations in China.[2] Coal-fired power stations generated 57% of electricity in 2020.[3] Over half the world's coal-fired power is generated in China.[4] 5 GW of new coal power was approved in the first half of 2021.[2] Quotas force utility companies to buy coal power over cheaper renewable power.[5] China is the largest producer and consumer of coal in the world and is the largest user of coal-derived electricity. Despite China (like other G20 countries) pledging in 2009 to end inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, as of 2020[update] there are direct subsidies and the main way coal power is favoured is by the rules guaranteeing its purchase – so dispatch order is not merit order.[6]
The think tank Carbon Tracker estimated in 2020 that the average coal fleet loss was about 4 USD/MWh and that about 60% of power stations were cashflow negative in 2018 and 2019.[7] In 2020 Carbon Tracker estimated that 43% of coal-fired plants were already more expensive than new renewables and that 94% would be by 2025.[8] According to 2020 analysis by Energy Foundation China, to keep warming to 1.5 degrees C all China's coal power without carbon capture must be phased out by 2045.[9] But in 2023 many new coal power stations were approved.[10] Coal power stations receive payments for their capacity.[11] A 2021 study estimated that all coal power plants could be shut down by 2040, by retiring them at the end of their financial lifetime.[12]
To curtail the continued rapid construction of coal fired power plants, strong action was taken in April 2016 by the National Energy Administration (NEA), which issued a directive curbing construction in many parts of the country.[16] This was followed up in January 2017 when the NEA canceled a further 103 coal power plants, eliminating 120 GW of future coal-fired capacity, despite the resistance of local authorities mindful of the need to create jobs.[17] The decreasing rate of construction is due to the realization that too many power plants had been built and some existing plants were being used far below capacity.[18] In 2020 over 40% of plants were estimated to be running at a net loss and new plants may become stranded assets.[6] In 2021 some plants were reported close to bankruptcy due to being forbidden to raise electricity prices in line with high coal prices.[19]
As part of China's efforts to achieve its pledges of peak coal consumption by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060, a nationwide effort to reduce overcapacity resulted in the closure of many small and dirty coal mines.[20]: 70 Major coal-producing provinces like Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia, and Shanxi instituted administrative caps on coal output.[20]: 70 These measures contributed to electricity outages in several northeastern provinces in September 2021 and a coal shortage elsewhere in China.[20]: 70 The National Development and Reform Commission responded by relaxing some environmental standards and the government allowed coal-fired power plants to defer tax payments.[20]: 71 Trade policy was adjusted to permit the importation of a small amount of coal from Australia.[20]: 72 The energy problems abated in a few weeks.[20]: 72
In 2023, The Economist wrote that ‘Building a coal plant, whether it is needed or not, is also a common way for local governments to boost economic growth.’ and that ‘They don’t like depending on each other for energy. So, for example, a province might prefer to use its own coal plant rather than a cleaner energy source located elsewhere.’[21]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Chinese coal plant approvals slum after Xi climate pledge". South China Morning Post. 2021-08-25. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
- ^ a b Yihe, Xu (2021-09-01). "China curbs coal-fired power expansion, giving way to renewables". Upstream. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
- ^ Cheng, Evelyn (2021-04-29). "China has 'no other choice' but to rely on coal power for now, official says". CNBC. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
- ^ "China generated half of global coal power in 2020: study". Deutsche Welle. 2021-03-29. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
- ^ "Why China is struggling to wean itself from coal". www.hellenicshippingnews.com. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
- ^ a b "China's Carbon Neutral Opportunity" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-02-28.
- ^ Gray, Matt; Sundaresan, Sriya (April 2020). Political decisions, economic realities: The underlying operating cashflows of coal power during COVID-19 (Report). Carbon Tracker. p. 19.
- ^ How to Retire Early: Making accelerated coal phaseout feasible and just (Report). Carbon Tracker. June 2020.
- ^ China's New Growth Pathway: From the 14th Five-Year Plan to Carbon Neutrality (PDF) (Report). Energy Foundation China. December 2020. p. 24. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
- ^ "China's new coal power spree continues as more provinces jump on the bandwagon". Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. 2023-08-29. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
- ^ Lushan, Huang (2023-11-23). "China's new capacity payment risks locking in coal". China Dialogue. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
- ^ Kahrl, Fredrich; Lin, Jiang; Liu, Xu; Hu, Junfeng (2021-09-24). "Sunsetting coal power in China". iScience. 24 (9): 102939. Bibcode:2021iSci...24j2939K. doi:10.1016/j.isci.2021.102939. ISSN 2589-0042. PMC 8379489. PMID 34458696.
- ^ a b "Retired Coal-fired Power Capacity by Country / Global Coal Plant Tracker". Global Energy Monitor. 2023. Archived from the original on 9 April 2023. — Global Energy Monitor's Summary of Tables (archive)
- ^ "Boom and Bust Coal / Tracking the Global Coal Plant Pipeline" (PDF). Global Energy Monitor. 5 April 2023. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 April 2023.
- ^ "New Coal-fired Power Capacity by Country / Global Coal Plant Tracker". Global Energy Monitor. 2023. Archived from the original on 19 March 2023. — Global Energy Monitor's Summary of Tables (archive)
- ^ Feng, Hao (April 7, 2016). "China Puts an Emergency Stop on Coal Power Construction". The Diplomat.
- ^ Forsythe, Michael (2017-01-18). "China Cancels 103 Coal Plants, Mindful of Smog and Wasted Capacity". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
- ^ "Asian coal boom: climate threat or mirage?". Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit. Mar 22, 2016. Archived from the original on April 24, 2016. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
- ^ "Beijing power companies close to bankruptcy petition for price hikes". South China Morning Post. 2021-09-10. Retrieved 2021-09-12.
- ^ a b c d e f Zhang, Angela Huyue (2024). High Wire: How China Regulates Big Tech and Governs Its Economy. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/oso/9780197682258.001.0001. ISBN 9780197682258.
- ^ "Will China save the planet or destroy it?". The Economist. November 27, 2023. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2024-01-21.