China Plans to Kick Off Construction on 80 Gigawatts of New Coal-Fired Power Plants in 2011

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Despite increasing international pressure on China for stronger energy conservation, emissions reductions and environmental protection, coal-fired power will remain the major power source for the country during the 12th Five-Year Plan period, which lasts from 2011 through 2015. The total construction of coal-fired power during this time will be worth about 260 to 270 gigawatts (GW); of which, the capacity of new coal-fired power plants that are scheduled to kick off construction will be worth 80 gigawatts in 2011, according to an arrangement that was made at the national energy working conference, which was held recently in Beijing.

In the past five years, China's installed capacity increased by more than 430 GW to 950 GW at the end of 2010, ranking top in the world. Although renewable energy and new energy had experienced a rapid development, the installed capacity of hydropower surpassed 200 GW the first time, and the newly added installed capacity of hydropower reached 90 GW, which almost equaled the total of the previous 95 years. However, as of the end of 2010, more than 70% of the electricity supply in China still came from thermal power.

In order to achieve better results in energy conservation and emissions reductions, China shut down 72.1 GW of smaller coal-fired units, and the proportion of units with a single capacity of more than 300 megawatts reached more than 70% of the total installed capacity of coal-fired units in China. During the 12th Five-Year Plan, China will continue to replace small units with larger ones, and attach top priority to the optimal development of coal-fired power, especially in its regional layout. In the coal-rich western region, a large-scale coal- and power-integrated complex with the adoption of advanced water-saving technology will be developed. In eastern and central regions, the main purpose for the construction of some power projects will be to secure a safe supply in the grid. Except in some minority regions and smaller areas, construction of pure coal-fired power plant will be limited.

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