AsiaElec: Chinese president approves tacit return to coal dependency

With the holding of the Chinese Communist Party’s 2022 Congress this past week, energy issues featured prominently in the speeches of several high-ranking officials in the opening days.

Most prominent were comments by sitting President Xi Jinping that authorities in Beijing are in no great rush to move away from carbon-based fuel to help achieve net-zero status despite earlier promises.

As a result, Xi’s comments have been seen as the nation’s president giving the green light to China’s coal industry to ramp up production and subsequent transportation of coal as winter approaches.

Rail transport and poorly managed infrastructure last winter took much of the blame for power cuts across some of China’s most heavily populated cities in the north and north-east as one of the coldest winters on record hit hard.

At the time media across the world reported on a nation moving up the economic ladder, but unable to keep the lights on in what was seen as a huge loss of face for China’s elite.

This year, the heating is already on in the Inner Mongolian region, with the local government in the city of Hohhot with its population of 3.5mn having prepared over 2mn tonnes of coal to see them through until spring.

Similar reports are being filed from a number of other cities in northern China, often linked to powering up local coal mines to aid in securing supplies. In Hegang City, east of Hohhot, up to eight mines will be increasing capacity by around 1.14mn tonnes to meet demand.