NB: Global warming, anyone? Coal burning not only contributes to
global warming, but coal powered conventional electrical and hot water
generation emits more radioactivity than a properly operating nuclear
power plant (excluding the issue of long term radioactive waste storage)
and carcinogenic micro-particulates. Perhaps there should be a
worldwide boycott of all PRC products until fossil fuel power plant new
construction and increased use of coal is stopped.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/08/business/china-coal-power-shortage-climate-intl-hnk/index.html
China orders coal mines to increase production as power shortages bite
By Laura He, CNN Business
Updated 6:50 AM ET, Fri October 8, 2021
Coal is powering the economic recovery, IEA says
Coal is powering the economic recovery, IEA says
China's energy crunch is hitting factories hard
Hong Kong (CNN Business)China has ordered its coal mines to ramp up
production in a bid to ease a power crisis, as the country struggles to
balance its need for electricity with efforts to tackle the climate crisis.
Authorities in Inner Mongolia, China's second largest coal-producing
province, have asked 72 mines to boost production by a total of 98.4
million metric tons, according to state-owned Securities Times and the
China Securities Journal, citing a document from Inner Mongolia's Energy
Administration. The order, which was approved on Thursday, took effect
immediately, the state media outlets said.
The figure is equivalent to about 30% of China's monthly coal
production, according to recent government data. Inner Mongolia's energy
authorities didn't immediately respond to a request for comment by CNN
Business.
A global energy crisis is coming. There's no quick fix
A global energy crisis is coming. There's no quick fix
Power shortages have spread to 20 provinces in recent weeks, forcing the
government to ration electricity during peak hours and some factories to
suspend production. These disruptions resulted in a sharp drop in
industrial output last month and weighed on the outlook for China's economy.
News of the production order triggered a plunge in coal prices on
Friday. Thermal coal futures on the Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange tumbled
as much as 6.7%. Shares in major Chinese coal miners and power producers
also plummeted. Yanzhou Coal Mining (YZCAY) fell 11% in Hong Kong. China
Resources Power (CRPJY) slid 12%.
The order comes only days after China's top economic planning agency
asked the country's three biggest coal producing provinces — Inner
Mongolia, Shanxi, and Shaanxi — to deliver 145 million metric tons of
coal in the fourth quarter, so that the "livelihood use of coal" is not
interrupted, according to separate statements by the provincial
authorities last week.
China is facing its worst power shortage in a decade. That's a
problem for the whole world
China is facing its worst power shortage in a decade. That's a problem
for the whole world
These steps underscore the challenges facing Beijing as it attempts to
balance the country's need for power with President Xi Jinping's push
for a carbon neutral China by 2060.
Coal is the main energy source of China, widely used for heating, power
generation, and steel making. Last year, it made up nearly 60% of the
country's energy use. It is a major source of the country's carbon
emissions.
Earlier this year, China has shut down hundreds of coal mines — or
reduced production in the functioning ones — amid a national push to
reduce carbon emissions. It also slapped restrictions on imports of coal
from its key supplier Australia, as political tensions between the two
nations escalated.
As a result, coal supply fell sharply, even as demand surged due to
industrial growth and extreme weather conditions. That has driven coal
prices to record highs and resulted in widespread shortages of power.
— CNN's Beijing bureau contributed to this article.
