China has more than 1 billion tons’ worth of coal production in the pipeline with its mine expansion plans set to see output surge in three to five years, a new study has revealed.
In stark contrast to its stated net zero ambitions, China will account for more than half of the world’s new coal mines, risking a significant increase in methane emissions, a report by US-based Global Energy Monitor (GEM) said on Tuesday.
The report said 35% of what will be its additional 1.28 billion metric tons of annual capacity is already under construction, with production set to increase significantly from 2027.
“Expanding coal production capacity is currently a national policy priority and a political task. State-owned enterprises, which dominate the sector, are often mandated to fulfil this objective,” said GEM project manager Dorothy Mei.
China’s system of long-term contracts guarantees the profitability of coal companies, Mei added.
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China’s existing mines have made it responsible for 70% of global coal mine methane emissions from similar sized large mines, and if all the proposed projects are completed, this would rise to 75%, the report said.
“The surge in new production starkly contrasts with China’s dual carbon neutrality targets,” it said.
Methane emissions come from activities such as energy production, agriculture, and landfill and are short-lived in the atmosphere but much more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas. They have driven about a third of the rise in global temperatures since the Industrial Revolution.
China’s pipeline accounts for more than half of mines under development globally, and includes projects under all stages of development, including those proposed, permitted as well as already under construction.
By comparison, China’s existing current large-scale coal mine capacity is 3.88 billion tons per year, the report found, which is nearly half the global total.
China, the world’s largest producer and consumer of the fossil fuel, mined a total 4.66 billion tons of coal in 2023, a record high, data from its statistics bureau showed.
- Reuters with additional editing by Sean O’Meara
Read more:
UK First G7 Nation To End Coal-Fired Power Generation – FT
China Slows Coal Power Plant Building Push – Yahoo
China Coal Output Rises But Power Generation Use Declines
China Turns to Carbon Capture, Biomass For Coal Power Emissions
Global Coal Capacity Growth Blamed on China, EU, US – FT
