Biden Announces Return to Global Climate Accord, New Curbs on US Oil Industry
U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced America's return to the international Paris Agreement to fight climate change, the centerpiece of a raft of day-one executive orders aimed at restoring U.S. leadership in combating global warming.The announcements also included a sweeping order to review all of former President Donald Trump's actions weakening climate change protections, the revocation of a vital permit for TC Energy's Keystone XL oil pipeline project from Canada…
Mongolia Suspends Coal Exports to China
Mongolia will suspend deliveries of coal across its southern border into China until March 2 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the country's National Emergency Commission said on Monday.Exports via the border points of Gashuunsukhait, Shiveekhuren, Bichigt and Bulgan will all be stopped, the commission said. The body is also recommending that Mongolia's Tsagaan Sar new year celebrations be suspended…
Construction Starts on Zhangzhou Nuclear Project
China National Nuclear Power Co Ltd started the construction of the Zhangzhou nuclear project on Wednesday, the company said in a filing to the Shanghai Stock Exchange.The project, which will use China's homegrown third-generation nuclear reactor technology know as the "Hualong One", was the first new conventional nuclear project to be approved by China in three years.(Reporting by Min Zhang and David Stanway, editing by Louise Heavens)
China to take action against 'uncontrolled' hydro on Yangtze
China's has urged local governments along the Yangtze river to survey the environmental damage done by the "uncontrolled" development of small-scale hydropower, warning that some plants could be closed, according to a government notice on Wednesday.Local authorities have been instructed to conduct a survey into hydropower construction along the Yangtze River Economic Belt, which stretches from…
Mongolia Coal Export Earnings Surge after N.Korea Ban
Mongolia's coal export earnings surged nearly fivefold in the first five months of the year, according to official data, with the country taking advantage of sanctions on North Korea to boost deliveries to China, its major customer. Cash-strapped Mongolia was forced to turn to the International Monetary Fund for support this year following a collapse in foreign investment, declining commodity prices and a downturn in coal demand.
China for Tougher Environmental Norms to Fight Overcapacity
China will use the stricter enforcement of environmental, safety and energy efficiency standards as well as tougher credit controls to help fight against overcapacity in key industrial sectors, the government said. The world's second-largest economy has identified overcapacity as one of its key challenges and it has already pledged mass closures in the steel and coal sectors, but it has so far fallen behind on its targets.
China Halts Work on $15 bln Nuclear Waste Project After Protests
A Chinese city has suspended preliminary work on a proposed 100 billion yuan ($15 billion) nuclear waste processing plant following protests by local residents concerned about health risks. Reports that Lianyungang - a coastal city about 500 km (310 miles) north of Shanghai - was set to be chosen as the site for the project sparked protests that began at the weekend. The project, to be run…
China's CGN not to go alone on British Nuclear Plants
China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGNPC) on Saturday said it has no plans to build reactors at the Hinkley Point C site in Britain, denying reports it would be willing to take over from EDF should the French firm pull out. EDF has delayed its investment decision on the construction of two "third-generation" European Pressurised Reactors (EPRs) at Hinkley Point until September, amid escalating…
China April Oil Imports Rise 7.6 pct
China's imports of crude oil rose 7.6 percent in April from a year ago, customs data showed on Sunday, lifted by continued strong demand from domestic private refiners. The high April inflows were a result of the strong appetite of small domestic independent "teapot" refineries. Beijing has granted licenses to more than 20 of them since last year to import crude for the first time. China imported 32.58 million tonnes of crude oil in April…
Nations Seek Early Ratification of Paris Climate Deal
Many nations are pushing for swift ratification of a Paris agreement to slow climate change and lock it in place for four years before a change in the White House next year that might bring a weakening of Washington's long-term commitment. More than 130 nations with 60 leaders including French President Francois Hollande are due to sign December's pact at a U.N. ceremony in New York on April 22, the most ever for a U.N. agreement on an opening day, the United Nations said.
China's Shenhua in Talks with CNNC, CGN on Stakes in Nuclear Projects
China's Shenhua Group is in talks with leading Chinese nuclear developers on taking stakes in domestic nuclear projects, as the country's biggest coal producer diversifies into cleaner forms of energy, Shenhua President Zhang Yuzhuo said on Wednesday. Shenhua Group, state-owned parent of Shanghai and Hong Kong-listed China Shenhua Energy, has been cutting coal production in a bid to shore up prices, which have plunged as a result of declining demand and a huge domestic supply glut.
China Shenhua Energy Net Profits Down in 2015
China Shenhua Energy's net profit fell 56.9 percent to 16.14 billion yuan ($2.47 billion) last year due to lower demand in a slowing economy and the country's efforts to switch to cleaner forms of energy. The listed arm of the Shenhua Group, China's biggest coal producer, said in its annual report demand for coal and other fossil fuels was likely to fall further in 2016, with the pace of restructuring…
China CO2 Emissions May Have peaked in 2014
Study says emissions could fall modestly from now. China's carbon emissions, by far the world's highest, may have peaked in 2014, according to a study published on Monday, potentially putting Beijing under pressure to toughen climate pledges perceived as too lax. China has promised to bring greenhouse gas emissions to a peak by "around 2030" as part of its commitments to a global pact to combat global warming, signed in Paris last year.
China Sets Energy Consumption Cap for First Time
China aims to keep energy consumption within 5 billion tonnes of standard coal equivalent by 2020, it said in its latest five-year plan published on Saturday, marking the first time the world's second-biggest economy has set such a target. China has long been considering an energy consumption cap in a bid to improve industrial efficiency, tackle smog and control greenhouse gas emissions, which are the highest in the world.
China to Close 1,000+ Coal Mines in 2016
China will aim to close more than 1,000 coal mines over the course of this year, with a total production capacity of 60 million tonnes, as part of its plans to tackle a price-sapping supply glut in the sector, the country's energy regulator said. In a notice posted on its website (http://www.nea.gov.cn), the National Energy Administration said the closures would form part of the plan released…
End of Fossil Fuel Era Nears - Climate Change Talks
* France's Fabius to unveil new draft at 9 a.m. PARIS, Dec 12 (Reuters) - At the tail end of the hottest year on record, climate negotiators in Paris will aim on Saturday to seal a landmark accord that will transform the world's fossil fuel-driven economy within decades and turn the tide on global warming. After four years of fraught U.N. talks often pitting the interests of rich nations against poor…
Climate Deal Details Remain Elusive
Exhausted global climate negotiators resumed wrestling over the language of an agreement on Thursday morning after talks that dragged through the night failed to bridge gaps between rich and developing countries. French Foreign Minister Lauren Fabius, who is chairing the U.N. conference, said he still planned to issue a penultimate draft on Thursday afternoon with as few disagreements or bracketed passages as possible to pave the way for a last round of revisions.
China Coal YTD Imports Down 16 pct
Imports inch up from Aug but down 16 percent year on year. China imported 17.77 million tonnes of coal in September, down 16 percent from a year ago, with weak demand and a domestic supply glut continuing to weigh on orders. Monthly arrivals, which include lower grade lignite, inched up 1.6 percent from August levels, according to preliminary data from the General Administration of Customs on Tuesday.
India Announces Plan to Slow Greenhouse Gas Growth
India has promised to shave a third off the rate at which it emits greenhouse gases over the next 15 years, in a long-awaited contribution towards reaching a deal to slow global warming at a U.N. climate summit in December. The world's third-largest emitter and last major economy to submit plans ahead of the Paris summit did not, however, commit to any absolute cuts in carbon emissions. Of the top two polluters…
China-U.S. Climate Deal No 'Game-Changer'
China and the United States have outlined an eye-catching "common vision" to secure an ambitious global climate deal later this year, but experts say a centrepiece pledge by Beijing to establish a nationwide carbon market is no game-changer. In a joint statement made during President Xi Jinping's visit to the United States, China confirmed it would launch national cap-and-trade scheme in 2017, forcing big emitters to buy credits to meet CO2 reduction targets.
