COP 26, Glasgow, UK: The “Glasgow Climate Pact” will speed up the pace of climate action. All countries agreed to revisit and strengthen their current emissions targets to 2030, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), in 2022. This will be combined with a yearly political roundtable to consider a global progress report and a Leaders summit in 2023.
COAL FOR POWER GENERATION
A standard 500 megawatt coal power plant produces 3.5 billion kWh per year, which is enough energy to power 4 million light bulbs all year. To power most of a household's electrical appliances for a year it would take around 2,154.6 kilograms of coal.
September 2021: China is the largest consumer of coal in the world. In 2020, the country consumed 4.14 billion short tons of coal. India and the United States followed as the second and third-largest consumers, at some 932.2 and 650.3 million short tons, respectively.
COAL RESERVES IN THE WORLD
31 December 2020: Estimates of total world proved recoverable reserves of coal were about about 1.16 trillion short tons, and five countries have about 75% of the world's proved coal reserves.
The 5 countries are:
(1) United States – 249 billion tonnes.
(2) Russia – 162 billion tonnes
(3) Australia – 149 billion tonnes
(4) China – 142 billion tonnes
(5) India – 106 billion tonnes
UTILIZATION OF COAL - LATEST NEWS FROM CHINA
Bloomberg News, March 14, 2022: (with assistance by Alfred Cang, and Qian Chen)
China Seeks to Cut Reliance on Coal Imports With Mining Boom
The National Development and Reform Commission
(NDRC), the nation’s top economic planner
aims to increase output capacity by 300 million tons
Country sets target of 620 million tons of coal reserves
China plans a massive increase in coal mining, a move that will dramatically reduce its reliance on imports and deal a blow to its near-term climate actions.
NDRC wants to boost domestic production capacity by about 300 million tons.
It also plans to build a 620 million-ton stockpile of the fuel split between government, miners and users.
Such an increase in output would cut the country’s already scant dependence on foreign imports after global prices hit record levels in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The measures also highlight concerns that China’s reliance on fossil fuels remains as entrenched as ever, as it seeks to enhance energy security to limit disruptions to economic growth, regardless of the impact on its climate goals.
It’s hard to overstate the importance to China of coal, the most-polluting fossil fuel. The nation produces and consumes more than half of global supply, and it’s the biggest contributor to its world-leading greenhouse gas emissions.
China has said that coal consumption should begin to fall off in the second half of this decade as it strives to peak emissions across the economy by 2030.
The production increase would be split, with 150 million tons of capacity coming from new, upgraded operations and another 150 million from open-pit mines and some mines that had previously been shut.
Daily output should average 12.6 million tons, according to the NDRC, which is even higher than the record-breaking levels reached in the fall after shortages caused widespread industrial brownouts.
The NDRC didn’t give a timeline for the ramp-up, but if last year’s all-out push on production is anything to go by, it could happen relatively quickly.
The added 300 million tons of capacity is equivalent to China’s typical annual imports. The nation produced over 4 billion tons of its own coal last year.
The stockpiles would be split between several sectors:
The national government would contribute 70 million tons
Local governments would hold 150 million tons
Power plants would have 200 million tons
Coal mines would have 100 million tons
Other large users would have 100 million tons
The new edicts on supply follow other measures intended to guarantee a smoothly running power system, which still relies on coal for about 60% of its needs.
The government has ordered mines and power plants to sign medium and long-term contracts for 100% of their generation, and will enforce a price range of between 570 and 770 yuan a ton for those supplies.
The NDRC also announced several other plans at the meeting:
The third batch in a massive build-out of desert solar and wind projects will be announced soon, with priority given to developments backed by coal power that allow for continuous generation
GLOBAL ENERGY SHORTAGE - where is the Afica's coal?
Reports read as follows:
"With roughly 4.9% of the global coal reserve concentrated in South Africa, coal mining in Africa hasn't grown to become a large revenue-earning industry for the continent.
South Africa holds 35,053 million tons (MMst) of proven coal reserves as of 2016, ranking 8th in the world
GLOBAL ENERGY MIX is in the offing!
Contribution by:
Sospeter Muhongo
*Honorary Research Fellow of the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences
*Former Chair of the Science Programme Committee of the UN-proclaimed International Year of Planet Earth (UN- IYPE)
*Former Chair of UNESCO-IUGS-IGCP Scientific Board of International Geoscience Programme.
Date:
Monday, 14.3.2022
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