China already uses
ultra-low emissions
technology
for about 80%
of its total coal-fired
electricity generating
capacity.
The technology cuts the
air polluting smog particles,
but does not affect the
harmless CO2 emissions.
China Energy Group, which is
China's biggest power generator,
will add over 6 gigawatts (GW)
of new ultra-low emission
coal-fired capacity this year.
The company plans to build
another 5 GW of low-emission
capacity next year.
Xiao Jianying, head of the
state-run firm’s coal-fired
power department,
told Reuters.
“China still has quite a
big demand for electricity.
The government now supports
regions with poor wind and solar
resources to use coal-fired power
... it’s a more practical measure,
as gas is still too expensive,”
China Energy operated
coal-fired plants with
a total capacity of 175 GW
at the end of 2018, which was
77.4% of its total capacity,
and about 10% of China's
entire electricity generation
capacity.
Xiao said his company would
gradually shut down small,
polluting coal-fired power units,
and replace them with efficient ones,
noting that total generating capacity
would continue to increase,
but at a slower growth rate.
China Energy plans to launch
another carbon capture and storage
(CCS) project in northwest China
next year, to reduce the
environmental impact of using coal.
China Energy already
runs a CCS plant at its
coal-to-oil facility
in Erdos, which is
in Inner Mongolia.
China Energy wants
to export more of its
low emission coal-fired
power technology
to other nations.
China is the world’s biggest
greenhouse gas emitter,
but has relaxed some
environmental restrictions
recently, in response to a
"Trump trade war"-related
economic slowdown.
The Chinese National
Energy Administration
said last month it would
encourage regions
to choose the most
"accessible" form
of energy (cheapest)
to guarantee
heating during the
coming winter.
It also offered
financial support
for cities to build
centralized
“clean coal”
heating systems.
This was unlike
two winters ago,
when authorities
forced millions of
northern households
to convert from
burning coal,
to burning natural gas,
or to use electricity,
for their home heating,
in an effort to curb
heavy urban smog.
A friend's son, who pilots
a corporate jet, and has
been flying executives
to China for many decades,
observed the economic
growth, and growing
pollution, from the air:
'A nation of bicycles,
and no traffic jams,
morphed into a nation
of cars, with traffic jams".
Chinese smog was so thick,
and still is, that some of it
drifted east, reaching
the US "left coast",
where it has obviously
lowered the average IQ !
China claims their
greenhouse gas
emissions
will stop rising by
“around 2030”
and they will
raise the use
of non-fossil fuels
to 20% of its
total energy mix
by the end of
the next decade,
up from 15%
in 2020.
That claim means little
when you stop to consider
that China is building
large numbers of new
coal-fired power plants.
A recent academic study,
published in March 2019,
said China had restarted
construction on
more than 50 GW
of previously suspended
coal power plant projects
last year.