Beijing trials new model for decarbonizing coal-fired power
On Monday, the macro planner (NDRC) and energy regulator (NEA) released an action plan to decarbonize China’s coal-fired power (CFP) industry.
Some context: China’s massive CFP fleet is among the world’s most efficient and lowest emitting, yet it still accounts for nearly 40% of national emissions.
More context: China's transition to a renewables-dominated grid means the CFP fleet is transitioning from primary to flexible power provider, adjusting output to stabilize the grid amid renewables fluctuations.
The problem: CFP plants need to operate at high capacity to work efficiently. Running plants intermittently to respond to renewables-induced grid fluctuations makes them far more emissions-intensive.
- That means the current approach of cutting emissions by boosting plant efficiency is no longer optimal.
The action plan calls for a new strategy to advance CFP decarbonization, which centers on developing pilot plants that will:
- Undergo upgrades to enable the burning of coal blended with low-emissions biomass material and ammonia produced using green hydrogen
- Incorporate carbon capture technology
The plan's targets are highly ambitious:
- By 2025, the pilots target achieving unit emissions reductions of 50%.
- This would reduce emissions to levels comparable with gas-fired power.
Get smart: If applied at scale, the action plan promises a massive boon to decarbonization efforts.
- However, its approach – using carbon capture and ammonia/coal co-firing – is expensive and technically unproven.
- That means these pilots will determine whether this can serve as a feasible model for CFP decarbonization.