Page 8 - AsiaElec Week 13 2021

AsiaElec COAL AsiaElec

Japan considers ending support

for coal tech exports

JAPAN THE Japanese government is seriously look- in GHG emissions over the long term.
ing at ending financial support for exports of This prompted Japan to introduce the current
coal-burning generation technology in a bid to conditions for coal power equipment exports last
boost decarbonisation. July.
The government is looking to follow the poli- Pressure on Japan grew with the inaugura-
cies adopted by the US and the European Union tion of Biden, who has made climate change a
in ending support for exports of generating tech- top priority. Biden’s special presidential envoy
nology and finance and insurance services, the for climate change, former Secretary of State
Nikkei reported. John Kerry, has called on Environment Minister
This would be a major change of policy for Shinjiro Koizumi to end government support for
Tokyo, which until now has supported exports overseas coal projects.
of technology by the country’s industrial giants. Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the UK,
The new policy turn comes ahead of Prime which will host the next G7 summit in June, has
Minister Yoshihide Suga’s meeting with US also pressed Japan to end such support.
President Joe Biden in April, when the subject of The Japanese stance on coal has long been
decarbonisation will be on the agenda. criticised by overseas investors on the grounds
They plan to announce their initiative in the that it goes against efforts to combat climate
US-led climate change summit to be held April change. Foreign governments, mainly those of
22, according to Japanese government sources. the US and EU nations, have joined the chorus.
Japan uses bodies such as the Japan Bank for The Suga government has decided that it
International Cooperation to offer loans and should work toward terminating support for coal
financial support. Although the bank insists on projects, given that it has made decarbonisation
modern technology and lower greenhouse gas a pillar of its growth strategy.
(GHG) emissions, it still has a major exposure to Meanwhile, JBIC has also admitted that it is
fossil fuel projects. reconsidering its support for coal.
Japanese companies including Mitsubi- Southeast Asia is a major customer for Chi-
shi have signed such deals with Vietnam and nese technology, and 40% of the region’s electric-
Indonesia. ity is generated by coal.
A new coal power plant typically stays in ser- As well as coal, Japan is also pursuing hydro-
vice for around half a century. Japan has come gen technology and has finally launched offshore
under fire from the international community for wind licensing rounds.™
its exports in this field, on the view that they lock

NUCLEAR

Pakistan connects Chinese-built

K-2 reactor to grid

PAKISTAN PAKISTAN has connected the Chinese-built tonnes per year,
Hualong One (HPR1000) nuclear reactor at the K-2 was constructed under a contract signed
Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) Unit 2 (K-2) between China National Nuclear Corporation
to the national grid. (CNNC) and the Pakistan Atomic Energy Com-
Plant builder Shanghai Electric said that the mission in 2013, and Shanghai Electric partici-
unit, which uses Chinese technology, was con- pated as the main equipment supplier to provide
nected to the grid earlier in March. essential core components such as reactor inter-
The NPP is the first in the world to use China’s nals and steam turbine generator sets.
Hualong One reactor technology In September 2020, CNNC said it had com-
K-2 is slated to generate nearly 10bn kWh pleted so-called Hot Functional Tests (HFT) at
per year annually, meeting the annual electricity the K2 reactor.
needs of one million people. It will help reduce In China, Hualong One was deployed for the
standard coal consumption by 3.12 million first time at Unit 5 of the Fuqing Nuclear Power

P8 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 13 31•March•2021