China to end construction of coal-fired power plants abroad

• 4 years ago (2021-09-23)
• David Flin

Asia 997 Coal 352

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China’s President Xi Jinping said at a UN meeting that China will stop building new coal-fired power plants abroad. Xi said: “China will step up support for other developing countries in developing green and low carbon energy and will not build new coal-fired power projects abroad.”

More than 70 per cent of coal-fired power plants built currently around the world relies on funding from China. Thus, China’s announcement will have major global consequences. However, China will continue to build coal-fired power plants at home, with several dozen such projects announced in just the first half of 2021.

A recent study revealed that between 2013 and 2019, around $42 billion was invested in new coal-fired power generation capacity in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. China accounted for 40 per cent of this investment.