China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and National Energy Administration (NEA) have unveiled a plan to cut CO2 emissions in its coal-fired power plants by piloting the firing of power plants using coal mixed with either green ammonia or biomass, as well as by carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS).
China’s plan sets CO2 emissions from gas-fired power generation as the benchmark for coal-fired power plants. Under the scheme, the first low-carbon projects using some of the new approaches will start operating by 2025, and their average emissions should be 20% lower compared with 2023 levels. By 2027, the Chinese government aims to expand low-carbon projects and reduce operating costs, while halving average CO2 emissions from 2023 levels.
As of end-2023, coal-fired capacity still represented 43% of China’s installed capacity with 1,253 GW and 62% of its power generation with 5,845 TWh. This share has been reducing as China ramped up the development of renewable energy.