Aaron Sheldrick & Sudarshan Varadhan

UDANGUDI, India/TOKYO, Workers work along a pier with a conveyor belt. It runs for a mile in the Indian Ocean. Here, ships are able to unload and berth large cargos of coal.

This belt will transport millions of tonnes each year of coal to a huge power plant kilometres away. It will produce power for more than 70million people living in India’s Tamil Nadu State.

According to the Udangudi plant, it is among nearly 200 new coal-fired power plants in Asia. It includes 95 stations in China and 28 in India, as well as 23 in Indonesia.

This new fleet will produce planet-warming emissions for decades and is a measure of the challenge world leaders face when they meet for climate talks in Glasgow, where they hope to sound the death knell for coal https://www.reuters.com/business/cop as a source of power.

Coal use is one of the many issues https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/sticking-points-un-climate-conference-2021-10-18 dividing industrialised and developing countries as they seek to tackle climate change.

Since the 1980s, industrialised nations have been closing down their coal plants to cut emissions. In the United States, 301 plants have been retired since 2000.

Asia has 60% of the world’s population. However, as Asia develops rapidly, its coal consumption is rising rather than falling.

GEM reports that more than 90% are found in Asia.

Tamil Nadu in India is the second most industrialized and top-producing state for renewable energy. It is building some of the largest coal-fired power plants in India.

According to a Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corp senior official, “We can’t depend only on solar and wind.”

He said that you can have both the cakes of coal and solar icing, but declined to name himself as he wasn’t authorized to talk to media.

COAL HOOKED

The global economy still relies on coal for its electricity, despite dramatic rises in renewable energy. Asia has twice as much coal in the power mix than the world average, especially with rapidly growing economies like India.

According to the Statistical Review of World Energy (NYSE:) BP, 35% of world’s energy came from coal in 2020. About 25% of the world’s power came from, with 16% coming from hydro dams and 10% from nuclear, and 12% comes from renewable sources like wind and solar.

The year is shaping up to be a record-breaking year for coal demand, pushing prices to new heights and prompting a global scramble to find fuel.

A record amount of coal is being consumed, which will lead to an increase in carbon emissions by 2021. This follows a decline in the last year when there were restrictions on movements for billions to stop the pandemic.

Although some new coal plants are replacing older more polluting stations in the area, they all will contribute to overall emissions.

Lauri Myllyvirta (lead analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy & Clear Air) stated that “the completion of the capacity which is currently under construction in these nations will drive up coal consumption and emissions.”

GEM predicts that CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions from these new plants could reach close to 28 Billion tonnes by the end of their 30-year lives.

This is not too far from the 32 billion tonnes total global CO2 emissions in 2020. According to BP this highlights how difficult it will be to achieve meaningful climate change progress for those leaders gathering in Glasgow, including Indian Prime Minister NarendraModi.

In a recent interview with Reuters, Rameshwar Prasad Gupta stated that India had reached its targets of reducing carbon dioxide emissions. With that, coal would also fall – though it is not possible to abolish.

Every country has its strengths. Gupta stated that coal is a resource we can rely on.

“Our position says that once you commit to reducing carbon intensity, then it will impact… We can do this in coal or anywhere else.

Anil Swarup (a former Coal Secretary) said the same thing in an interview. His comments included that “Renewable Energy expansion is crucial, but coal will continue to be India’s major energy source for at least the next fifteen years, and that production should be increased to meet our energy needs.”

CHINA CRUNCH

GEM data shows 281 operating coal plants in India.

China is the world’s largest coal consumer, miner and emitter. However, these numbers pale in comparison to China. There are more than 1000 coal plants in operation. Nearly 240 of these plans or under construction.

The combined emissions of coal plants from the second largest economy in the world will exceed all CO2 emissions in their lifetimes, according to BP data.

China boasts the most renewable energy capacity in the world. However, it’s now experiencing an energy crunch. It has called on coal miners to increase their output.

This will likely increase coal consumption over the short term even though China has plans to decrease coal usage starting in 2026.

Yet, the global total coal consumption appears to be rising, due in part to increased use by South and Southeast Asia. These countries are currently constructing projects that will increase coal-burning capability by 17%, 26% and 26% respectively.

THE AFTERLIFE

Coal’s hold is strong even in countries that are committed to cutting emissions.

Japan’s nuclear industry is in serious trouble since Fukushima. It has now turned to coal for its energy needs and built seven new large coal-fired power plants.

JERA is a major generator and plans to include clean-burning ammonia in its mix of coal. This will help JERA reach its carbon neutrality target by 2050.

JERA’s old, 4100 megawatt Hekinan station, which is 30 years old and located in Nagoya, supplies power to auto companies. Toyota Motor Corp.

Hekinan boilers, just like other power plants, depend on fossil fuels from countries like Australia. Australia is an important exporter of coal, with $18billion in revenue. However, it has been a matter of dispute among allies who want to reduce their emissions. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australian-pm-refuses-commit-phasing-out-fossil-fuels-2021-09-26

Scott Morrison, the Australian prime minister will attend the Glasgow talks. However, Keith Pitt, the resources minister has stated that there will be demand for coal over the next decades. He also made clear that the country won’t be affected by the efforts of regulators or banks to weaken the sector.

Pitt stated that “While there is a market, Australia will try to fill it.”

($1 = 1.3398 Australian dollars)