China will make full use of coal as a vital part of its energy strategy, leaders and officials said during the nation’s annual gathering of parliament this week, as it bids to balance economic stability with its longer-term climate goals.
Following a speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) reiterating the importance of coal, delegates from across the country called for more investment in coal technology and new policies to shore up profits for coal enterprises.
Xi told a National People’s Congress delegation from the top coal-producing region of Inner Mongolia that China, the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter, was “rich in coal, poor in oil and short of gas,” and “could not part from reality.”
He said green transition was a process, and China could not simply “slam the brakes” on coal.
Xi last year pledged to “control” coal use over the 2021-2025 period and start cutting consumption in 2026, as part of China’s contribution to the fight against global warming.
However, growing energy security worries have already driven mining output to record highs and seen new coal-fired power plants go into construction.
Delegates tried to bridge the gap between developing coal and curbing emissions by calling for more investment in clean and “smart” coal technologies, including carbon capture and storage.
They also called for measures to release more supply onto the market and further develop the coal chemical industry, published minutes of closed-door meetings showed.
Support was also needed to encourage technological innovations that could transform coal power into a low-carbon energy source, said Shu Yinbiao (舒印彪), a delegate with the advisory body known as the China People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and chairman of state utility Huaneng.
China also needs to establish a long-term mechanism to ensure coal and power firms could remain profitable and guarantee supplies, the official People’s Daily newspaper quoted Shu as saying.
Jin Penghui (金鵬輝), another CPPCC delegate and head of the Shanghai branch of the central bank, called for public funds to be made available to boost efficiency and reduce emissions from coal.
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