Page 6 - AsiaElec Week 04 2023

AsiaElec COAL AsiaElec

Chinese coal production at all

time high in 2022

CHINA CHINESE domestic coal production last year of gas.”
hit almost 4.5bn tonnes for the 12 months to Xi also claimed that the eventual move
the end of December, government figures towards net-zero by 2060, and a 2030 peak
WHAT: revealed last week. in emissions frequently promised on the
Coal continues to set Officially reaching 4.496mn tonnes for the international stage is far from an overnight
records in China year, the figure was a 9% increase on numbers process, meaning that Beijing cannot merely
in 2021, according to the National Bureau of “slam the brakes” on coal usage, according to
WHY: Statistics (NBS) in Beijing. reports that emerged at the time.
Energy security seen Even with figures to December dipping At the end of 2022, sources in China
trumping net-zero goals somewhat to 12.99mn tonnes per day com- claimed a total coal mining capacity of
pared with 13.04mn tpd in November, as the around 260mn tonnes had been approved
WHAT NEXT: country came to terms with COVID out- that year. If confirmed, this would increase
More of the same breaks hitting tens of millions nationwide, the total coal capacity nationwide to 5.05bn
predicted in 2023 the figure was substantially higher than the tonnes.
12.41mn tpd mined in December 2021. “We don’t want to be like Europe and
This in turn reduced demand from transform at the cost of energy security”
industry. said Li Zheng, climate change and energy
Limited demand for coal is expected to professor at China’s Tsinghua University, last
last well into 2023, with China this week cel- November, adding: “They are now declaring
ebrating the Lunar New Year and travel to that they are taking a step back in order to
home towns by hundreds of millions across take two steps forward later.”
the nation only expected to exacerbate the It is now estimated that total coal gener-
outbreak when work fully resumes in early ation capacity in China could even surpass
February. that seen in the United States, reaching 270
A number of mines in some of the coun- GW by 2025.
try’s main mining regions, including Inner Analysts in the region see much of this
Mongolia and Shanxi, have already posted transpiring on the back of improved work-
figures showing large numbers of miners are ing conditions, with China’s National Devel- We don’t want
away from the coalface because of COVID. opment and Reform Commission (NDRC)
Overall production of coal throughout having pushed mines in both the public to be like Europe
2023, however, is expected to increase, with and private sectors to increase employment
coal still making up well over half of China’s term contracts, thereby offering increased and transform
total energy mix despite inroads having been job security and in turn helping to boost
made by renewables in recent years. output. at the cost of
This is in large part predicted on the back Keen to avoid a repeat of the power outages energy security.
of a desire by Beijing to increase domestic seen across much of China last winter when
energy security; Chinese President Xi Jin- issues with transportation infrastructure left
ping speaking last year in Inner Mongolia many without heat, the Chinese government
affirmed this point when he said that China for now sees coal as the most reliable and
“could not part from reality”, given that the easily available form of energy, regardless of
country is “rich in coal, poor in oil and short long-term emissions goals. ™

P6 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 04 26 •January•2023