A glut of new coal-fired power stations endangers China’s green ambitions
Why build them when they struggle to sell their electricity?
CHINA IS HOME to half the world’s coal-fired power stations, the most polluting type of generator. Their share of the country’s electricity market is shrinking as nuclear plants and renewables slowly elbow them off the grid. But Chinese investors and local governments are still keen on them. Last year coal-fired generating capacity expanded in China by 37GW (factoring in plant closures)—more than the amount by which it grew globally. China has been relaxing curbs on building such plants. That suggests more to come.
This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Brown elephants”
From the May 23rd 2020 edition
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