China's Far From Done With Coal as Regulator Eases New Plant Ban
- 11 provinces and regions allowed to build coal plants again
- New plants still barred in 10 regions seen having overcapacity
Transport trucks transfer raw coal in pits in Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture, China.
Photographer: China News Service/Visual China GroupThis article is for subscribers only.
China allowed 11 provinces and regions to resume building coal power plants, in another sign that the world’s largest energy user is far from finished with the most-polluting fossil fuel.
The National Energy Administration forecast that only 10 provinces and regions would have an excess of coal-fired electricity generation capacity in 2022, down from last year’s outlook for a glut in 21 areas by 2021. That means 11 areas can start building plants again, as the overcapacity label had suspended construction of new projects until the issue was addressed.