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Chinese province to cut coal use

World Coal,


Guangdong province in China plans to make large investments in natural gas and clean energy to cut coal and oil use in an attempt to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to a provincial climate change plan.

Guangdong plans to cut coal and oil’s share of the energy mix to 60.6% in 2015, down from 73% in 2010. Reducing its dependence of coal and oil will be key to reaching the province’s 2015 target of cutting carbon emissions per unit of GDP by 19.5% compared to 2010 levels.

The plan explains that huge investments in clean energy sources are needed, as “there is little room left to eliminate outdated capacity in steel and iron, cement and small coal-fired plant”, as has previously been done by Chinese officials looking to cut pollution levels.

The province's greenhouse gas emissions rose by nearly a third between 2005 and 2010, according to the plan. Its emissions in 2010 stood at 580 million t of carbon dioxide equivalent. To help meet this goal, Guangdong will more than double the share of natural gas in the energy mix to 13.2% by 2015.

Energy mix
Other fuel sources, including renewable energy, nuclear power and electricity imported from provinces in western China, were expected to rise to a 26% share in the mix by 2015, compared with 19% in 2010. The province also plans to increase nuclear capacity by 8800 MW over the five-year period, wind power by 2750 MW and solar power by 1000 MW.

The plan also reiterated the central government's ban on new coal-fired plants near the Pearl River Delta.

Guangdong's plan includes a 2015 energy consumption cap of 359 million t of standard coal equivalent, allowing for a 61% rise in consumption from 2010. This is the first time the province has set a numerical target for energy use.

In December 2013, Guangdong launched an emissions trading scheme in a bid to speed up carbon reduction, the world's second biggest after the European Union.

Edited from various sources by Katie Woodward

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/power/27012014/guangdong_province_to_cut_coal_use_448/

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