Chinese premier calls for more coal production as electricity demand soars

theguardian.com:

China’s premier has called for increased production of coal to stave off mass blackouts, as early summer heatwaves have prompted record electricity usage.

On Friday authorities again issued high temperature warnings for about a dozen provinces across the central and northern provinces, after consecutive days in the high 30s.

As people sought to escape the heat this week, state media reported that electricity demand was up 8.8% in north-west China compared with last year, and 3.2% in northern China, citing the State Grid Corp of China. Records for maximum electricity loads were broken in Shandong, Henan and Jiangsu.

The premier, Li Keqiang, “urged tapping into advanced coal capacity, securing power supply and resolutely preventing power outages amid the peak summer season”, according to state media. The reports said Li also called for greater “efforts to ramp up efficient and clean coal power production”.

Authorities are hoping to avoid repeats of an energy crisis last year in which there were widespread power cuts, but there are concerns that increased coal production will hamper China’s ability to meet its emissions reductions promises.

In 2020 the government announced a goal of reaching peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060. Last month China posted its third consecutive quarter of emissions reductions, a feat that analysts said owed to Covid restrictions, curbs on the property development market, and efforts to boost clean energy.

China is a major investor in wind and solar, but its electricity system still overwhelmingly relies on coal-fired power, using more than 50% of the total national supply, according to a research paper published in Nature this month.

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