Study: China's New Coal Power Plant Capacity in 2020 More Than 3 Times Rest of World's
China put 38.4 gigawatts (GW) of new coal-fired power capacity into operation in 2020, according to new international research, more than three times the amount built elsewhere around the world and potentially undermining its short-term climate goals.
The country won praise last year after President Xi Jinping pledged to make the country "carbon neutral" by 2060. But regulators have since come under fire for failing to properly control the coal power sector, a major source of climate-warming greenhouse gas.
Including decommissions, China's coal-fired fleet capacity rose by a net 29.8 GW in 2020, even as the rest of the world made cuts of 17.2 GW, according to research released on Wednesday by Global Energy Monitor (GEM), a U.S. think tank, and the Helsinki-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
"The runaway expansion of coal-fired power is driven by electricity companies' and local governments' interest in maximizing investment spending, more than a real need for new capacity," said Lauri Myllyvirta, CREA lead analyst. Read original full article
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Atlantis Viewpoint
China has been criticized for pursuing an energy-intensive post-COVID recovery based on heavy industry and construction. However, China needs to ensure its short-term development plans align with long-term climate goals. As the Chinese government determines its coal power capacity targets for the next five-year plan, it will hopefully severely restrict, if not end, new coal plant builds and accelerate the retirement of old plants. If they do not do this, new coal plants could end up becoming stranded assets.
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