BEIJING: China saw a surge in new coal power in the first half of the year even as the country added record levels of clean energy capacity, according to a report published on Monday (Aug 25).
Coal has been a pivotal energy source in China for decades but explosive growth in wind and solar installations in recent years has raised hopes that the country can wean itself off the dirty fossil fuel.
Coal accounts for around half of China’s power generation, down from three-quarters in 2016.
Yet the country brought 21GW of coal power online in the first six months of this year, the highest first-half total since 2016, the report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and Global Energy Monitor (GEM) said.
China also began or restarted construction on coal projects totalling 46GW – equivalent to the total coal power in South Korea – and launched another 75GW-worth of proposed new and revived coal power projects.
The growth threatens China’s goal to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and risks solidifying coal’s role in its power sector, the report said.
The world’s second-largest economy is the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases that drive climate change, but it is also a renewable energy powerhouse.
“Coal power development in China … shows no sign of easing, leaving emissions on a high plateau and stranding coal in the system for years to come,” said Christine Shearer, research analyst at GEM and co-author of the report.
More coal could come online soon because a “huge pipeline of already permitted (coal) projects remains” from a spike in new permits in 2022 and 2023 when China’s electricity grid struggled to adapt to renewables growth, according to Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst at CREA.
“Since then, better grid operation and storage have addressed those issues, while the coal power projects approved at the time are still under construction,” he said.
