China Coal Use Soars

China Approved 46 GW of Coal in 2020

Josh Siegel and Abby Smith, Wash. Examiner (March 29): Provincial governments in China greenlighted 46 GW of new coal power plants in 2020, more than the previous three years combined, the environmental group Greenpeace reported today. New permits for coal ballooned last year after China eased its pandemic lockdowns and returned quickly to economic activity. China generated 53% of the world’s total coal power in 2020 (compared to 44% in 2015), making it the only G-20 nation to significantly increase its coal-fired generation last year, according to a separate report yesterday from Ember, a London-based research group. Despite building hundreds of wind and solar plants, China’s power demand growth continued to outstrip new clean electricity, driving up the need for coal power. Only a third of China’s increase in electricity demand was met from gains in wind and solar generation, Ember determined.

The reports on China’s continued coal use come after the country early this month released an underwhelming five-year plan that provided no evidence it plans to reduce fossil fuel consumption soon to get it on a path to reach its long-term target of carbon-neutrality by 2060. The plan contained no absolute cap on carbon emissions by 2025, only a vow to reduce emissions intensity by 18%, a measure of energy use and emissions relative to GDP.

Link to Greenpeace Release > Link to Ember Report Also: China Generated Over Half World’s Coal Power in 2020.