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Episode 139
Coal is Back 煤炭回归
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环境中国终于有自己的Patreon账号了！如果您喜欢我们并想要支持环境中国未来的播客制作，欢迎加入我们的每月打赏计划！
Coal in China is seeing a multi-year resurgence after years in which the government seemed ready to dial back and ultimately halt coal power construction. Indeed, just months after the 2020 announcement by Xi Jinping on carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, in early 2021 a Central Environmental Inspection Team (CEIT) report criticized the National Energy Administration for approving too much coal and ignoring environmental policy goals (albeit on air quality, not carbon).
The report stated that NEA had ‘built what shouldn’t be built (coal, coal power lines), and not built what should be built.’ China also committed internationally to ‘strictly control’ new coal capacity through 2025, after which coal power should decline. Ironically, that CEIT report was just months before a major new coal boom in China began, which kicked off even before power shortages in late 2021 that were caused by high coal prices and then further power cuts in 2022 caused by hydro shortfalls in some regions.
Our guest for this episode is Sam Clissold, an analyst with Carbon Tracker. Sam has deep expertise and experience looking at the pipeline of coal power projects in China and analyzing the potential economic risks of stranded assets they pose.
Topics we discuss:
China's coal plant pipeline and what's driving the increase
What happened to the plan to 'strictly control' new capacity?
The geography of new coal - where is new coal being built?
What are the economics of making coal more flexible to balance renewables, and does this cost potentially lead to asset stranding?
Why is coal booming in Guangdong? To replace gas?
Plans to introduce a capacity payment scheme to subsidize coal power
The overall scale of the coal power stranded asset risk and its size relative to China's economy
Further reading:
The Producers
播客制作人
Environment China is a bilingual podcast featuring conversations with advocates, entrepreneurs, and experts working in the sustainability field in China for both Chinese and international audiences. So far, we have released 139 episodes already. You can listen to them on Environment China's official website, BEN's WeChat Account, or Google/Apple/Spotify Podcast.
「环境中国」是北京能源网络在2017年成立的中英双语播客栏目，至今已发布139集。在每一期节目中，我们将邀请到中外环境和能源领域的研究学者、创新创业者以及行业专家与大家分享他们的独到见解和经历。您可在环境中国官网、BEN公众号、以及谷歌/苹果/Spotify播客收听到我们的节目。
