In the first half of the year, my country’s approved coal power projects decreased by 78.8% year-on-year. Some coal-rich provinces still have a potential for expansion

Under the "dual carbon" goal, how to achieve green transformation in the coal power industry can be described as one of the "highlights"
.
On the one hand, the approval of coal-fired power projects is more stringent.

On August 25, the environmental protection organization Greenpeace issued a briefing report "Research on the Latest Progress of China's Coal Power Projects in the First Half of 2021" (hereinafter referred to as the "Briefing")
.
According to the "Briefing Report" statistics, under strict control, in the first half of this year, various provinces approved 24 coal power projects with a total installed capacity of 5.
2 GW, a year-on-year decrease of 78.

Professor Yuan Jiahai from the School of Economics and Management of North China Electric Power University said: “The projects currently approved are mainly to meet the local demand for rigid power shortages during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, and to ensure the national power development strategy as a supporting power source
.
” He also added "In fact, from the perspective of meeting the needs of the 14th Five-Year Plan, the projects under construction that have been approved during the 13th Five-Year Plan period can basically guarantee the needs of the 14th Five-Year Plan.
The project mainly plays a complementary function

It is worth noting that there is an uneven development speed in the energy transition of China's provinces

Approved coal power projects decreased by nearly 80% year-on-year, mostly cogeneration projects

The "Bulletin" shows that China's approved coal power projects in the first half of this year have not only been significantly reduced in number, but the total installed capacity has dropped by 78.
8% year-on-year.
To a certain extent, the approval of large-scale non-cogeneration coal power projects is also stricter

According to the data in the "Bulletin", among the 24 approved projects in the first half of the year, 21 were cogeneration projects, most of which were concentrated in Hubei, Chongqing and Fujian.
They were mainly used to meet heating demand and serve the unified central heating and heating of industrial parks.
People's livelihood heating

It is worth mentioning that although cleaner fuels are available in the heating sector, coal-fired cogeneration units are still the most economical and most common option
.
The "Bulletin" pointed out that compared with coal, the use of other fuels for heat and power generation faces the problems of lack of reasonable price drive, fuel shortage or unstable supply

Since coal-fired heating is currently irreplaceable to a certain degree, how should we respond to low-carbon requirements? "The future development of combined heat and power projects can consider supporting and reasonable price subsidy policies to achieve their green and low-carbon transition
.
" The "Brief Report" said

On the other hand, the three non-cogeneration projects approved in the first half of the year are all concentrated in two provinces with rich coal resources, Shaanxi and Anhui, and are dominated by large-scale units with over one million kilowatts
.
The total installed capacity of these three projects accounted for 64.
0% of the total approved installed capacity in the first half of this year.
Shaanxi and Anhui have also become the top two provinces with coal power approved capacity in the first half of this year
.

　　Among them, in addition to the "Datang Shaanxi Xiwangzhai Coal and Electricity Integrated Power Plant Project" serving the national strategy of "West-to-East Power Transmission", the other two projects are mainly aimed at developing local economy by utilizing the advantages of resources in the province
.

　　The pace of "returning coal" in various provinces is inconsistent.
Coal power projects are no longer included in the list of major projects in Shandong and Zhejiang

　　According to the "briefing report", coal power projects are included in the list of major projects in 23 provinces this year, a total of 86, with a known total installed capacity of 104.
8 GW
.
Viewed by province, the speed of energy transition among different provinces is obviously uneven
.

　　Specifically, among the 23 provinces, compared with last year’s list of major projects, the list of 9 provinces and autonomous regions including Shanxi, Shaanxi, Shandong, Zhejiang and other provinces and autonomous regions have reduced coal power installed capacity to varying degrees, especially in Shandong and Zhejiang.
Coal power projects are no longer included this year, but the coal power installed capacity in the list of 10 provinces and autonomous regions, including Guizhou, Gansu, Guangxi, Jiangsu, and Hunan, is still increasing
.
Among them, the newly-added coal power installed capacity in the list of major projects this year in Guizhou Province is the largest, reaching 7,130 MW
.
"Regions with advantages in coal resources are still gaining momentum for Shangma coal-fired power projects
.
" The "Brief Report" pointed out
.

　　In 2021, global persistent high-temperature heat waves caused by climate change will occur frequently, and electricity loads across China have repeatedly hit new highs
.
During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, ensuring short-term peak power loads has become one of the main reasons for the expansion of power supply capacity in various places
.
However, there are huge hidden dangers in using a single energy source to ensure power supply.
This summer, due to rising coal prices and shortages of electric coal, coal-fired power companies are facing the dilemma of loss-making power generation and unable to ensure supply
.

　　On the other hand, with the rapid development of the digital industry, the scale expansion of coal power is also contrary to the development goal of the digital industry to increase the proportion of renewable energy
.

　　Faced with the limited development space of coal power, the "Briefing Paper" suggested that the coal power industry’s early peaking of installed capacity is the key to China’s carbon peak by 2030, and provincial governments should fully tap the capacity value and regulation capabilities of existing power generation units.
, Combine demand-side response to set up a scientific power guarantee path
.
At the same time, the goal of improving the flexibility of the power system is incorporated into the mid- and long-term power plan to help the province's power sector to deepen its decarbonization
.

　　Transfer from: Daily Economic News