China's coal power construction surge contradicts Xi's carbon neutrality pledge
22 February 2024 23:08
"The pace of issuing permits, the commencement of construction, and the commissioning processes have further accelerated compared to the high speed already achieved in 2022", notes the report issued by the Helsinki Center for Energy Research and Clean Air (CREA) and the American think tank named the Global Energy Monitor (GEM).
The study highlights that in 2023, China authorized the construction of power plants with an overall capacity of 123 Gigawatts (GW). To put this in perspective, in 2022, facilities with a capacity of 113 GW acquired permission. Furthermore, last year, projects capable of generating 75.68 GW of coal power were kickstarted. Also, plants with a production capacity of 50.57 GW were put into operation. Whereas in 2022, 30 GW worth of production was realized.
Does this represent a significant amount? Reports from the Reuters Agency indicate that, in two years, the Middle Kingdom granted construction permits for power plants that could generate energy equivalent to the entire supply of Brazil.
China cements its position as the leading producer of CO2 emissions, in spite of Xi's promises
"China's rekindled investment in coal-fired power plants is remarkable given that it directly contradicts the political pledge made personally by leader Xi Jinping," the authors of the report underlined.
The report also recalls that in 2020, the Chairman of the PRC announced a policy of "aiming to reach peak CO2 emissions by 2030 and accomplishing carbon neutrality by 2060".
Xi Jinping asserted that this goal could be achieved by "strictly limiting" the rise in coal consumption, reducing both energy consumption and CO2 emissions, and increasing the proportion of non-fossil energy sources to 20 percent. It's important to remember that China is the single most significant emitter of carbon dioxide globally.
"Regrettably, after 2023 all these objectives seem quite distant (...), to alter this scenario, urgent actions are demanded," assert the report's authors.
The report highlights that the total power produced from various sources in China currently exceeds peak demand by as much as 40%. However, a critical challenge faced by Xi Jinping's regime is that the inefficient infrastructure fails to transport electricity to where it's needed. Consequently, this issue results in localized energy deficits. To address these shortages, the government continues to issue permits for the construction of new coal-fired power plants.
