Expansion accelerated: China relies heavily on coal-fired power plants

Coal instead of green energy: According to a study, China is building more and more coal-fired power plants despite global efforts to reduce greenhouse gases. Researchers speak of an “extraordinary” speed in implementation.

China pushed ahead massively with the construction of new coal-fired power plants last year. The number of approved new coal-fired power plants is the highest since 2015, according to a new research report released by the Finnish Center for Energy Research (CREA) and the Global Energy Monitor (GEM).

The Chinese authorities therefore approved the construction of new coal-fired power plants with a total capacity of 106 gigawatts – which corresponds to around two large power plant blocks per week. That is four times more than in the previous year and more than at any time since 2015.

Built more coal-fired power plants than the rest of the world

China approved and built more coal-fired power plants than the rest of the world combined, according to the report. ‘The speed with which the projects progressed from approval to construction was exceptional,’ the researchers explained.

Parallel to coal, the People’s Republic is also investing massively in the expansion of renewable energies. But so far, around 60 percent of China’s energy requirements still come from coal.

Adapt climate protection to economic developments

After dramatic energy bottlenecks in autumn 2021, provinces justified the support of new projects with the necessary power grid stability at peak times, which the researchers rejected as unfounded because the power plants are supposed to run constantly at base load capacity. The study shows that many of the new power plants are being built in precisely those provinces that are lagging behind in the expansion of renewables.

China is the largest coal consumer and largest producer of greenhouse gases. The world’s most populous country has pledged to reach peak emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. However, China’s government has recently pointed out that it wants to adapt climate protection to the needs of economic development.

With information from Ruth Kirchner, rbb