Category: Coal Power
Why Chinese Coal Financing Along the BRI Will End With Whimper Not a Bang
There's been growing excitement among environmentalists around the world that China may finally be ready to abandon its once expansive overseas financing of coal power plants, particularly in Belt and Road member countries. Last week, the Green BRI Center published ...
Stop the Blame Game: The Complex Picture of China and Coal Finance
By Hugo Jones and Lukas Fiala Apocalyptic images reach us from China this week. The immense flooding in Henan province has come with tragic human cost, a typhoon has edged onto China’s eastern coast, and Shanghai is facing torrential rains and winds. These events have already stirred discussions ...
A Lot of People Mistakenly Think China’s The Major Funder of Coal Plants Around the World. New BU Report Says That’s Not the Case.
China is indeed the largest government funder of coal power projects around the world, accounting for 50% of coal projects that reached financial closure between 2013 and 2018, according to a new policy brief from Boston University's Global Development Policy Center.
ICBC Bails on Financing $3 Billion Sengwa Coal Power Plant in Zimbabwe
Environmental groups in Zimbabwe are celebrating the news that China's largest bank, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), has decided not to fund the controversial $3 billion Sengwa coal-fired power plant. This a milestone decision since ...
The Impact of China’s Financing for Coal on Climate Change and Agriculture in Africa
Back in September 2020, President Xi Jinping announced China would aim for carbon neutrality by 2060, followed by setting more ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for 2030. Such bold commitments appeared to reflect Beijing progressing towards adopting climate-friendly policies, premised on low-carbon and renewable technologies. ...
Report: The Belt and Road Is Becoming Greener as China Backs Away From Financing Coal Power Projects
China has a well-deserved reputation for being the financier of choice for coal-powered energy projects around the world. While many other development finance agencies have backed away in recent years from underwriting heavily polluting power plants, China seemingly went the other way.
China’s Largest Commercial Bank Says It Plans to Phase Out Financing Coal Projects
The chief economist at China's largest bank, the International Commercial Bank of China, and one of the world's largest financiers of fossil fuel projects said the bank will begin to phase out support for coal power projects. Zhou Yueqiu told a ...
The Other Side of Agency
Last week I ran into a friend who’s a media studies scholar. We caught up about our work – she’s busy with a paper about the media representation of face masks. What am I working on? A paper on China’s provision of coal-powered electricity in Africa. Oh, ...
China’a Confusing, Contradictory Environmental Agenda
While scrolling today I came across this great piece by the China expert and former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, laying out the wider implications of China's much-discussed commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2060. Rudd points out that ...
Why the Sengwa Coal Plant in Zimbabwe Will Probably be China’s Last Mega Deal in Africa For a Very Long Time
China and Zimbabwe are moving forward with a massive new $3 billion coal power plant in the northern city of Sengwa. When complete, the new plant will generate 2800 megawatts of power and could singlehandedly erase the power deficit that's crippling the country.