EcoWatch
Facebook 573k Twitter 238k Instagram 37k Subscribe Subscribe
  • Climate
  • Energy
  • Policy
  • Renewables
  • Culture
  • Science
  • Go Solar Today
      • Top Companies By State
        • California Solar Companies
        • Texas Solar Companies
        • New York Solar Companies
        • Florida Solar Companies
        • See All States
      • Top Incentives By State
        • California Solar Incentives
        • Texas Solar Incentives
        • New York Solar Incentives
        • Florida Solar Incentives
        • See All States
      • Solar Panel Costs By State
        • Solar Panel Costs in California
        • Solar Panel Costs in Texas
        • Solar Panel Costs in New York
        • Solar Panel Costs in Florida
        • See All States
      • Value of Solar by State
        • Is Solar Worth It In California?
        • Is Solar Worth It in Texas?
        • Is Solar Worth It New York?
        • Is Solar Worth It In Florida?
        • See All States
      • Company Reviews
        • Tesla Solar Review
        • Sunrun Solar Review
        • SunPower Solar Review
        • Vivint Solar Review
        • See All Companies
      • Common Solar Questions
        • Can You Get Free Solar Panels?
        • Does Solar Increase Home Value?
        • What’re The Best Solar Batteries?
        • Can You Finance Solar?
        • Where To Buy Solar Panels?
        • Payback On Solar Panels?
      • Solar Resources
        • Interactive Solar Calculator
        • Federal Solar Tax Credit 2023
        • Best Solar Panels For Most Homes
        • Tesla Solar Roof Review
        • Cheapest Solar Panels
      • Companies Compared
        • SunPower vs Tesla Solar
        • SunRun vs Tesla Solar
        • SunRun vs SunPower
        • SunPower vs Momentum Solar
        • SunPower vs ADT Solar
EcoWatch
  • Climate
  • Energy
  • Policy
  • Renewables
  • Culture
  • Science
  • Go Solar Today
    • Go Solar Today
    • Top Companies By State
      • California Solar Companies
      • Texas Solar Companies
      • New York Solar Companies
      • Florida Solar Companies
      • See All States
    • Top Incentives By State
      • California Solar Incentives
      • Texas Solar Incentives
      • New York Solar Incentives
      • Florida Solar Incentives
      • See All States
    • Solar Panel Costs By State
      • Solar Panel Costs in California
      • Solar Panel Costs in Texas
      • Solar Panel Costs in New York
      • Solar Panel Costs in Florida
      • See All States
    • Value of Solar by State
      • Is Solar Worth It In California?
      • Is Solar Worth It in Texas?
      • Is Solar Worth It New York?
      • Is Solar Worth It In Florida?
      • See All States
    • Company Reviews
      • Tesla Solar Review
      • Sunrun Solar Review
      • SunPower Solar Review
      • Vivint Solar Review
      • See All Companies
    • Common Solar Questions
      • Can You Get Free Solar Panels?
      • Does Solar Increase Home Value?
      • What’re The Best Solar Batteries?
      • Can You Finance Solar?
      • Where To Buy Solar Panels?
      • Payback On Solar Panels?
    • Solar Resources
      • Interactive Solar Calculator
      • Federal Solar Tax Credit 2023
      • Best Solar Panels For Most Homes
      • Tesla Solar Roof Review
      • Cheapest Solar Panels
    • Companies Compared
      • SunPower vs Tesla Solar
      • SunRun vs Tesla Solar
      • SunRun vs SunPower
      • SunPower vs Momentum Solar
      • SunPower vs ADT Solar

The best of EcoWatch right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

    • About EcoWatch
    • Contact EcoWatch
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Learn About Solar Energy
    Facebook 573k Twitter 238k Instagram 37k
    EcoWatch
    • About EcoWatch
    • Contact EcoWatch
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Learn About Solar Energy
    Facebook 573k Twitter 238k Instagram 37k
    Home Energy

    China Approved Two New Coal Plants per Week in 2022, Study Finds

    By: Olivia Rosane
    Updated: February 28, 2023
    Edited by Chris McDermott
    Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon
    Smoke rises from a coal-fired power plant in Zhangye, Gansu Province, China
    A coal-fired power plant in Zhangye, Gansu Province, China on Feb. 22, 2022. Costfoto / Future Publishing via Getty Images
    Why you can trust us

    Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

    Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon

    Despite warnings from scientists that the world must rapidly cut coal use in order to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis, China approved more new coal plants in 2022 than at any point in the last seven years.

    That’s the conclusion of a new report from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and Global Energy Monitor (GEM) released Monday, which found that China had approved new plants at a rate of two per week for a total of 106 gigawatts (GW) for the year.

    “The speed at which projects progressed through permitting to construction in 2022 was extraordinary, with many projects sprouting up, gaining permits, obtaining financing and breaking ground apparently in a matter of months,” GEM research analyst Flora Champenois said, as The Washington Post reported. “China continues to be the glaring exception to the ongoing global decline in coal plant development.”

    50 GW of coal power capacity started construction in China in 2022, +50% increase from 2021. Many of these projects had their permits fast-tracked & moved to construction in months. 106 GW of new coal power projects were permitted – equivalent to two large coal power plants/week. pic.twitter.com/mOE77iWfB3

    — Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (@CREACleanAir) February 27, 2023

    Coal is the fossil fuel most responsible for the climate crisis, and Climate Analytics has found that all coal plants must be phased out entirely by 2040 in order to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Further, coal use must fall by 80 percent of 2010 levels by the end of this decade. 

    More From EcoWatch
    • How Does Your State Generate Power?
    • These States Are Leading Solar Energy Installation
    • Can You Switch Power Suppliers?

    Yet coal is China’s major stumbling block on the road to its energy transition. While the country is installing renewable energy at impressive speeds — it broke a record for new solar capacity added last year — it struggles to quit coal. It broke a record for coal outputs in 2022 as well. And the groundwork laid in new projects is not promising. 

    In 2022, China broke ground on 50 GW worth of coal power, which is more than 50 percent more than in 2021 and six times more than the rest of the globe, the report found. The 106 GW in permitted coal power was more than four times the 23 GW approved in 2021.

    The surge in coal construction is likely a response to the global energy crisis prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and domestic energy shortages, according to The Washington Post. In September of 2021, China experienced blackouts because of a lack of coal supply, according to Reuters. However, some of China’s energy woes are driven by the climate crisis. For example, a drought in 2022 reduced hydropower while more people are turning to air conditioning to make it through more extreme heat waves, according to Reuters and the report. In this context, coal may be a short-term fix but will ultimately make the problem worse.

    ⚠️ 🇨🇳 Avoiding the need for more coal-fired power plants in China requires improvements in energy efficiency, demand response and investments in storage, as well as improving grid operation.

    — Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (@CREACleanAir) February 27, 2023

    China has pledged to start reducing coal consumption from 2026, as well as to hit peak emissions before 2030 and reach net zero by 2060, according to The Washington Post. The report authors said that coal use and electricity emissions might not increase in China because of the newly planned plants if renewable energy capacity keeps increasing and energy demand declines. But the new plants could make it more difficult for China to meet its climate goals, since doing so would require some of the new plants to essentially become stranded assets, which would anger their owners. 

    The report authors did offer recommendations for how China could meet its energy needs without building more coal power:

    1. Don’t sign off on projects that are not needed for grid stability or connecting the grid to renewables.
    2. Turn to renewables to meet demand.
    3. Improve the grid’s storage capacity, flexibility and transmissions. 
    4. Improve energy efficiency for air conditioners and new and old buildings.

    Subscribe to get exclusive updates in our daily newsletter!

      By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from EcoWatch Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.

      Olivia Rosane

      Olivia Rosane is a freelance writer and reporter with a decade’s worth of experience. She has been contributing to EcoWatch daily since 2018 and has also covered environmental themes for Treehugger, The Trouble, YES! Magazine and Real Life. She holds a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Cambridge and a master’s in Art and Politics from Goldsmiths, University of London.
      Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon

      Read More

      Red States Lead U.S. in Wind and Solar Power Production, Study Finds
      Renewable energy capacity in the U.S. rose last year, with
      By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
      ‘It Is Surprising When You Live Through It’: Parts of Eastern U.S. Experience Earliest Spring on Record
      The weather in the U.S. has been a study in
      By Olivia Rosane
      Train Derailments Get More Headlines, But Truck Crashes Involving Hazardous Chemicals Are More Frequent and Deadly in U.S.
      By Michael F. Gorman
      By The Conversation

      Subscribe to get exclusive updates in our daily newsletter!

        By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from EcoWatch Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.

        Latest Articles

        • China Approved Two New Coal Plants per Week in 2022, Study Finds
          by Olivia Rosane
          February 28, 2023
        • Red States Lead U.S. in Wind and Solar Power Production, Study Finds
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          February 27, 2023
        • Scientists Identify Plastic as New Threat to Andean Condors in Protected Areas
          by Paige Bennett
          February 27, 2023
        • 9 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Orchids
          by Linnea Harris
          February 27, 2023
        • ‘It Is Surprising When You Live Through It’: Parts of Eastern U.S. Experience Earliest Spring on Record
          by Olivia Rosane
          February 26, 2023
        • REI to Remove ‘Forever Chemicals’ From Its Products By 2026
          by Paige Bennett
          February 26, 2023
        • Are Mushrooms the Wave to Plastic-Free Surfing?
          by Paige Bennett
          February 26, 2023
        • Train Derailments Get More Headlines, But Truck Crashes Involving Hazardous Chemicals Are More Frequent and Deadly in U.S.
          by The Conversation
          February 25, 2023
        EcoWatch

        The best of EcoWatch right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

          • Climate Climate
          • Animals Animals
          • Health + Wellness Health + Wellness
          • Insights + Opinion Insights + Opinion
          • Adventure Adventure
          • Oceans Oceans
          • Business Business
          • Solar Solar
          • About EcoWatch
          • Contact EcoWatch
          • EcoWatch Reviews
          • Terms of Use
          • Privacy Policy
          • Learn About Solar Energy
          • Learn About Deregulated Energy
          • EcoWatch UK
          Follow Us
          Facebook 573k
          Twitter 238k
          Instagram 37k
          Subscribe Subscribe

          Experts for a healthier planet and life.

          Mentioned by:
          Learn more