Coal news and updates

How China’s Coal Commitment Went up in Smoke

The flip-flop on coal policy makes it clear that China’s climate goals take a backseat to energy security and self-sufficiency.

In April 2021, Chinese President Xi Jinping told a Leader’s Summit on Climate that “China will strictly control coal-fired power generation projects, and strictly limit the increase in coal consumption over the 14th Five-Year Plan period [2021-2025] and phase it down in the 15th Five-Year Plan period [2026-2030].”

This year, Xi is eating those words.

Five-year plans are the foundational guidelines that map out economic goals, development policies, and overall reforms for China for every five-year period. They have determined the direction of China’s development since 1953.

However, in the case of coal and coal-fired power plants, China has had to reverse its stated course just over a year into the 14th Five-Year Plan, into which Xi Jinping himself is said to have had detailed input. and coal-fired power plants, China has had to reverse its stated course just over a year into the 14th Five-Year Plan, into which Xi Jinping himself is said to have had detailed input.