Skip to main content
Best News Website or Mobile Service
WAN-IFRA Digital Media Awards Worldwide 2022
Best News Website or Mobile Service
Digital Media Awards Worldwide 2022
Hamburger Menu

Advertisement

Advertisement

Business

China says coal will play less-dominant energy role

China says coal will play less-dominant energy role

China relies on coal for 60 per cent of its energy needs. (File photo: AFP/Johannes EISELE)

China, the world's biggest coal user, said Tuesday (Apr 27) the fossil fuel will play a less dominant role in its energy mix and that, despite plans to build new coal-fired power plants, the country will not use it on a wide scale.

The comments by Li Gao, the director general of the Department of Climate Change in China's Environment Ministry, follow pledges at last week's climate summit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to work with the United States in cutting emissions.

“In the past, it (coal) was the main source of power. In the future it will play the role of providing flexibility for the power grid,” Li said at a press conference.

“And now we still need a certain amount of coal ... but we will not develop coal on a wide-scale basis, that's very clear and that's strictly regulated," he added.

READ: Xi says China will phase down coal consumption over 2026 to 2030

Li acknowledged that China was still building new coal power plants, but he emphasised that they were unlike traditional coal plants and would not emit as much as plants did previously. Climate experts have long advocated for a ban on new coal power plants, which would be a significant step.

China obtains roughly 60 per cent of its power from coal, and is the world’s biggest source of greenhouse gases. During the Trump administration, the US used China’s emissions as an excuse not to act, and in the past China pointed to US historical emissions as a reason to resist action.

Beijing has previously set a target for non-fossil fuel energy to account for 20 per cent of the country's total energy consumption by 2025, which will require further investment in solar and wind energy.

READ: Germany, China to increase cooperation on climate change

Germany and China agreed Monday to step up their cooperation in combating climate change, with the two discussing coal use and how to reduce it.

Xi announced last year that China would be carbon-neutral by 2060 and aims to reach a peak in its emissions by 2030.

Source: AP

Advertisement

Also worth reading

Advertisement