In terms of geopolitical optics, this week was nothing short of a banquet. It served up at least two sets of images that seem to crystallize our historical moment and that will live on in the Wikipedia of history as shorthand for where the world was in 2025.
One is the waves of uncannily synchronized soldiers and a bewildering array of high-tech weaponry gliding down Beijing’s Chang’an Avenue. The ...
Category: Coal Power
China’s Solar Expansion in Indonesia Still Relies on Coal
In West Java, a province just east of Jakarta, Indonesia, a sprawling industrial park is rising. Backed by Chinese cement giant Hongshi Holding Group, the $5 billion complex promises to produce the solar panels and batteries that the world desperately needs to combat climate change.
Philippine Fishers Struggle as China-Funded Coal Projects Expand
Canopies of old trees, a port, and a solar farm came into view as the air-conditioned bus approached Mariveles town in Bataan province. Within minutes, after traversing a tree-lined, well-paved road, the bus reached its destination: the freeport area of Bataan, ...
Indonesia’s Coal Production Hits Record in 2024, with China Driving the Growth
Indonesia’s coal production hit a new high in 2024, reaching 831.6 million tons, 17% above the target. This boost is largely thanks to strong demand from China, the world’s biggest coal importer, along with other key markets in ASEAN. While ...
China’s Role in Indonesia’s Coal-Powered Industry Poses Challenge to Prabowo’s Green Goals
Indonesia’s energy transition strategy has sparked debate after conflicting statements from top officials about the future of coal power. While President Prabowo Subianto recently announced, at the G20 summit in Brazil, an ambitious plan to cease all coal and fossil fuel ...
To Speed Up Coal Plant Retirement, Policymakers Need to Better Understand the Costs and Benefits
By Rishikesh Ram Bhandary and Kevin P. Gallagher Coal-fired power plants will have to be rapidly phased down to meet the Paris Agreement targets and avoid the catastrophic costs of inaction on climate change. At ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Coal-Free Future: A Diary From China-Indonesia Energy Field Trip
Do you remember when the weather was small talk? It used to be a conversation you would have with a stranger at the bus stop, perhaps about the imminent rain or how unusually hot today is before it became quiet again and your ride arrived.
Indonesia May Be Wasting Its Ties With China and Climate Partnership Full Potentials
We are still six months away from the official presidential inauguration. Still, China has already invited Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto to visit Beijing to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping in person. During the visit, Prabowo reiterated his promise to continue Jokowi's development model, including partnerships with China. ...
China’s Potential as a Reliable Partner for Coal Plant Phase-Down in Africa
By Niccolò Manych and Tsitsi Musasike The future of the electricity system lies in renewables, both globally and in Africa. Although a green energy transition has multiple benefits for African nations, many continue to ...
Backgrounder: The Fine Print of China’s No-Coal Pledge
In 2021, China’s President Xi Jinping announced that China would stop funding and building coal-fired power plants overseas. After the announcement, Chinese companies canceled about forty coal power projects. However, a similar number are still in limbo. If built, they would produce 245 ...
Chinese Company Expands Footprint in South Africa’s Energy Sector With New Solar Project
One of China’s biggest companies, the Fortune 500-listed PowerChina, is establishing itself among energy sector players seeking to offer solutions to the crippling blackouts predicted to last until 2027 in South Africa. The country is seeking to transition to ...
China Funded Many Coal Plants Around the World. Retiring Them Early Could Be a Bargain
China has funded about 39 GW of coal electricity around the world, particularly in South and Southeast Asia. If these plants continue operating until the end of their lifespans, they will breach 2040 carbon targets set by the International Energy Agency. ...
How China’s Overseas Coal Plants in South and Southeast Asia Can be Retired Early
By Alex Clark Chinese public financial institutions have financed almost 40 gigawatts of coal-fired power generation capacity outside China in the last decade. These coal plants, located predominantly in Indonesia, Vietnam, and Pakistan, as shown below, and with an average ...