Greenpeace reports that China has reduced new coal power plant approvals by almost 80%.
A report by an environmental group shows that China, the largest coal-fired power station builder in the world, has cut the number permits for new plants almost 80% during the first half 2024. The report says time will tell if this is a turning point.
Based on data from new project approvals, the Greenpeace East Asia Report also found that China's combined solar and wind capacity of 11.8 Terawatts (TW), exceeded coal capacity (11.7TW), for the first in the first half. This capacity accounted for 84.2% all new grid-connected power.
The report released on Tuesday shows that China also commissioned 14 coal power plants, with a total of 10.3 gigawatts of capacity. This is a drop of 79.3% from the first half of 2023.
Greenpeace East Asia Project Lead Gao Yuhe stated that wind and solar development has been strong while coal building is slowing down, but it was unclear how the slowdown would affect the use of carbon-intensive fossil energy.
Are Chinese provinces slowing coal approvals due to the fact that they have already approved so many projects in this five-year period plan? Are these the last gasps for coal power as coal has become less and less viable in an energy shift? Only time will tell."
Greenpeace says that investment should be made to improve grid connectivity in order to increase the output of China's vast fleet of wind and sun plants.
The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air in Helsinki believes that China's carbon emission may have peaked around 2023. The report shows that emissions dropped 1% on an annual basis in the second quarter 2024. This is the first drop in quarterly emissions since the COVID-19 epidemic.
China still builds coal-fired power plants to maintain grid stability, and ensure that it has enough energy available for peak periods. This was the case during the scorching heat of July in many parts of the country.
The National Development and Reform Commission, an economic planner, did not respond immediately to a faxed comment request. (Reporting and editing by Barbara Lewis; Colleen howe)
(source: Reuters)
