Greenpeace Blasts China’s Coal Plans

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Heartland :

Greenpeace sharply criticized China for unveiling ambitious plans to construct 50 coal gasification plants. The gasification plants will reduce air pollution relative to conventional coal power plants, but Greenpeace claims the total of 1.1 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions from the gasification plants is unacceptable.

 

Addressing Air Pollution

 

China’s major cities, most notably Beijing and Shanghai, have notoriously poor air quality. Last September the government announced plans to build cleaner coal gasification (coal-to-gas) facilities. As currently envisioned, the bulk of the plants will be located in the less-densely-populated northwest of the country, including Xinjiang, western Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, and Gansu.

 

China’s state-owned power companies classify coal gasification plants as “clean energy” or “new energy,” and Chinese officials tout the plan as a sign Beijing is serious about reducing air pollution in urban areas.