World should shut nearly 3,000 coal plants to keep on climate track -study


SHANGHAI, Oct 28 (Reuters) - The world will need to shut down nearly 3,000 coal-fired power plants before 2030 if it is to have a chance of keeping temperature rises within 1.5 Celsius, according to research by climate think tank TransitionZero.

In a report published days before the U.N. COP26 climate change summit https://www.reuters.com/business/cop in Glasgow, TransitionZero said there are currently more than 2,000 GW of coal-fired power in operation across the world, and that needs to be slashed by nearly half, requiring the closure of nearly one unit per day from now until the end of the decade.

The need to close nearly 1,000 gigawatts of coal-fired capacity would put the onus on China - the world's biggest source of climate-warming greenhouse gas and owner of around half of the world's coal-fuelled plants - to accelerate its shift towards cleaner electricity.

"The logical conclusion is that half of the effort will need to come from China," said Matt Gray, TransitionZero analyst and author of the report.

China has reduced the share of coal in its total energy mix from 72.4% in 2005 to 56.8% last year, but absolute consumption volume has continued to rise. President Xi Jinping vowed earlier this year that China would start to cut coal use, but only after 2025 https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-xi-says-china-will-phase-down-coal-consumption-over-2026-2030-2021-04-22.

Its coal strategy has also come under added scrutiny in recent weeks as regulators try to find the extra volume required to resolve an energy crunch that has forced factories to shut and put winter heating and electricity supply at risk.

Gray said while coal consumption will rise in the short term, the crisis is forcing China to accelerate reform that will eventually help the country reduce its fossil fuel reliance.

A recent policy aimed at forcing operators of coal-fired power generators to sell electricity via the wholesale market will expose them to competition from renewable sources and further underscore their lack of competitiveness, he added.

"I think it is fair to say that keeping the lights on and keeping buildings warm will be the exclusive priority of the Chinese government coming into winter," he said.

"But our hope is for this crisis to be seen as a wake-up call for being reliant on coal-fired power." (Reporting by David Stanway; Editing by Christopher Cushing

STILL PROMOTING THE MYTH OF CCS

Coal industry did not show potential of clean tech quickly enough -WCA boss

Oliver Griffin
Wed, October 27, 2021

By Oliver Griffin

BOGOTA, Oct 27 (Reuters) - The coal industry was not quick enough to explain the potential of clean technologies that can give the fossil fuel a place in a sustainable energy matrix, Michelle Manook, chief executive of the World Coal Association (WCA), told Reuters on Wednesday.

Coal is considered a heavy polluter and environmentalists warn using it is an obstacle to curbing climate change. Several large mining companies and investment funds have moved to sell off coal assets.

Coal's poor image is partly due to the sector not doing enough to show that cleaner coal technologies can have a positive impact on emissions, Manook told Reuters during an interview at the Colombian Mining Association's (ACM) offices in Bogota.

"We haven't done a good enough job," she said, explaining that both producers and consumers have not sufficiently communicated what technologies exist and are available to qualify coal as an energy option for the future.

Technologies available to help reduce emissions include carbon capture and storage (CCS) and high-efficiency, low-emission (HELE) power plants, Manook said.

Coal-fired power plants using HELE and CCS technology can cut emissions by as much as 90%, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

While some experts say CCS technology is essential to meeting the goal of a net carbon zero economy by 2050, environmentalists view it as a means for industry to keep using fossil fuels.

"The biggest issue for the coal market is how we actually reintegrate ourselves back into this energy debate," Manook added.

For WCA members the future of energy is not about choosing between coal and renewable sources, but rather using them side by side, she said.

"Our members are very much about the complementary nature of coal and renewables," Manook said. "Coal is really important to many developing and emerging nations and we want to support using coal and being part of a decarbonized future." (Reporting by Oliver Griffin; editing by Richard Pullin)