China plans to build new coal-fired power plants at least through 2027

China plans to build new coal-fired power plants at least through 2027. The reason is the need to balance supplies from intermittent renewable sources, Bloomberg reports today, citing government plans.

Construction will be permitted in places where existing capacity or the ability to balance electricity supplies from wind and solar projects is lacking, the National Development and Reform Commission and other agencies said in an “action plan”. They published the text, dated 26 March, online today.

Beijing expects energy companies to ensure that new coal-fired power plants can operate safely. They should also be able to quickly adjust electricity supplies to balance output from renewable sources. Some should not operate at full capacity.

The new plants will also have to burn coal more efficiently, and their carbon intensity should fall by 10 to 20 percent compared with current levels.

According to Bloomberg, the plan underscores the continuing importance of coal in China’s energy system, even as President Xi Jinping calls for consumption to start falling next year. China mines and burns more than half of the world’s coal and began construction on the largest number of new power plants in a decade last year.