By Paul Davies and Andrew Westgate
China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the National Energy Administration (NEA) have ordered local authorities to stop construction of coal-fired power plants in 13 provinces where capacity already outstrips demand. A further 15 provinces will be required to delay construction of previously approved coal-fired power plants. These provinces include Shanxi and Inner Mongolia, home to much of China’s coal industry.
These orders reinforce China’s efforts to transition towards a lower-carbon economy – an economy no longer heavily dependent on coal power.