China’s Coal Power Building Plans Are Still at a Frenzied Pace
- Provinces approved at least 20.5 GW of new coal in quarter
- Beijing expanding fossil fuel capacity for energy security
Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg
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Chinese provinces approved more new coal power plants in the first three months of this year than in all of 2021, as Beijing continues a rapid expansion of fossil fuel generation capacity in an effort to guarantee reliable electricity supplies.
Provincial governments gave the green light to at least 20.5 gigawatts of new coal in the first quarter, topping the 18.5 gigawatts for all of 2021, Greenpeace said in a new research report. Approvals began to soar last year, to at least 90.7 gigawatts, after a series of economy-crippling power shortages, according to the study.