Chinese PM calls for more coal production as electricity demand rises
China’s prime minister has called for an increase in coal production to prevent a massive blackout, as early summer heat waves prompted record electricity use.
On Friday, officials again issued high temperature warnings for nearly a dozen provinces in the central and northern provinces, after consecutive days in the high 30s.
As people tried to escape the heat this week, state media reported that electricity demand was up 8.8% in northwest China and 3.2% in northern China compared to last year, citing China’s State Grid Corp. . Records for maximum power load were broken in Shandong, Henan and Jiangsu.
According to state media, Premier Li Keqiang urged “exploitation of advanced coal potential, securing electricity supply and preventing power cuts during the peak summer season”. Reports said Lee also called for “more efforts to increase efficient and clean coal power generation”.
Authorities are hoping to avoid a repeat of an energy crisis last year that led to widespread power cuts, but there are concerns that increased coal production will hinder China’s ability to deliver on emissions reduction promises.
In 2020 the government announced the goal of reaching peak carbon emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. Last month China posted its third consecutive quarter of emissions cuts, a feat analysts said was due to Covid restrictions, curbs on the property development market, and efforts to promote clean energy.
China is a major investor in wind and solar, but its power system still relies on coal-fired electricity, which uses more than 50% of the total national supply, according to a research paper published in Nature this month.
“Although China already has the world’s largest installed electricity generation capacity for renewable energy, achieving carbon emissions targets will require a profound transformation of the power system over the next 30 years,” the paper said.
Observers say that despite massive investments in wind and solar power, China’s government has turned its attention to coal-fired power to ensure sustainability. A confluence of factors contributed to the 2021 crisis, including strict energy rationing designed to meet efficiency targets against energy-intensive infrastructure projects designed to kickstart a pandemic-ravaged economy. The market volatility associated with the Ukraine war is also accelerating the trend towards coal production and energy self-sufficiency.
The Netherlands, Germany and Austria have also taken this step in response to the energy crisis caused by the Russian invasion.
“It is fair to say that following the high note set by the carbon neutrality declaration in 2020, China’s climate momentum is slowing down,” said Li Shuo, a senior global policy adviser at Greenpeace. “This will certainly serve as a delaying factor for China to achieve deep decarbonisation in the long run… Strong political will is needed to confront China through the current down season of climate action. “
Jiang Yi, an academic at Tsinghua University and a member of the Chinese Communist Party’s most recent National Climate Change Expert Committee, said the increase in coal production was not inconsistent with the government’s carbon pledges.
Yi said, “Before a true new power system is built and the power system’s resilience and storage capacity is fully resolved, it is also necessary to rely on coal-fired thermal power to ensure supply.” Is.” “On the one hand we are understanding supply assurance, and on the other we are also vigorously developing zero-carbon energy systems to achieve replacement of coal. The two are not conflicting.”
Sophie Geoghegan, a climate campaigner for the Environmental Investigation Agency, said the demand for cooling such air-conditioning is increasing because of the increasingly common and severe heatwaves around the world.
“The way AC is used, as soon as it heats up, everyone turns on their current… putting a huge strain on the grid which means there is either a power cut or a peak power turn on, And the peak power is run by coal plants,” he said. “It’s a catch-22: it gets hot so you turn on your AC, which raises global temperatures even more. So China has increased coal production to meet the growing demand for cooling, but It is a short term solution that has long term implications.
Additional reporting by Jianqian Zhu, Chi Hui Lin and agencies
