Albania

Some Glencore shareholders want the company to spin off its coal projects whether or not it is successful in its bid to take over the coal division of Canadian mining company Teck Resources. The combination of Glencore’s existing thermal coal mines in Colombia, South Africa and Australia with Teck Resources’ four metallurgical coal mines in British Columbia would create a company producing 131 million tonnes of coal annually, making it the second-largest coal producer outside China. Glencore’s CEO Gary Nagle defended continued thermal coal production as necessary for “baseload energy” and claimed alternatives to metallurgical coal are not yet available. Bluebell Capital, a Glencore and Teck Resources shareholder, recently wrote to the board calling for Nagle to be replaced and opposing the plan to increase coal assets. “Glencore has demonstrated no intention to accelerate the transformation into a world-class pure player in green economy transition metals, but rather the intention is to become the undisputable leader in coal (thermal and steel),” Bluebell wrote.

Glencore boss considers the unthinkable: spinning off coal

The Rockefeller Foundation and Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) has launched the Coal to Clean Credit Initiative (CCCI) to finance the early closure of coal plants in countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam and South Africa through the sale of ‘coal-to-clean’ credits. CCCI says about 90 per cent of coal plants are insulated from competition due to long-term contracts and have no incentive to retire early. CCCI said its proposed methodology is open for comment at local consultations and aims to present it at the COP28 climate conference in November this year. CCCI noted that if the proposed methodology is accredited, it could have credits for sale in 2024. CCCI said it aims to use funds from selling “high integrity” ‘coal-to-clean’ credits to finance clean energy and other projects identified in just transition plans developed with local communities.

Proposal for development of ‘coal-to-clean’ carbon credits

A new report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) has found that the pace of major financial institutions adopting coal exclusion policies is accelerating. IEEFA found that while it took six years before there were 100 financial institutions with coal exclusion policies, the next hundred took just over three years. The study notes that mid-level financial institutions have been the leaders in the shift. The report found that the scope of coal exclusion policies is gradually broadening to include all aspects of financial support for companies with coal interests and extending to coal gasification and rail and port infrastructure. Of the 36 asset managers with policies, half have implemented or strengthened their commitments in the last two years. However, the three largest asset managers – Blackrock, State Street Global Advisors and Vanguard – either have weak policies or no policies.

200 and counting – Global financial institutions committed to coal divestment has doubled in three years

The European Electricity Review 2023, published by Ember, a UK-based climate policy think tank, reveals coal generation in the European Union (EU) countries increased by just 1.5 per cent in 2022 compared to 2021. Across the EU, coal accounted for 16 per cent of generation in 2022, propped up by a shift away from Russian gas, reduced hydro generation due to drought and French nuclear plants being offline. The review notes that coal generation in the EU fell by six per cent over the last four months of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021. Ember reveals that nine of the 26 coal units brought back as an emergency standby were not used at all. Those units which were used added only 0.9 per cent to EU coal generation in 2022.

Europe: “Any fears of a coal rebound are now dead”

European Union negotiators have reached a provisional agreement on a carbon border adjustment mechanism to ensure imported emissions-intensive products pay a similar carbon price to domestic producers. The aim is to prevent EU producers from being undercut by producers in countries with no or lower carbon emissions prices. The proposed agreement covers iron, steel, cement, aluminium, fertilisers, electricity and hydrogen. From October 2023, importers will only be obliged to meet reporting obligations, with the end date of the transition period yet to be decided. The agreement is subject to ratification by the European Parliament and Council.

EU seals agreement on world’s first carbon tariff

The International Energy Agency’s Renewables 2022 report estimates renewables are estimated to grow by 2400 gigawatts (GW) over the 2022–2027 period, a growth rate 30 per cent higher than the agency forecast a year ago. The IEA estimates wind and solar will account for over 90 per cent of new renewables capacity over the next five years, underpinned by policies in China, the US and India. The agency estimates renewables will supply more electricity than coal plants by 2025. The report also outlines a scenario in which renewables grow at 25 per cent faster than its estimate, but this requires regulatory and permitting reforms and increased use of clean energy in the heating and transport sectors.

Renewable power’s growth is being turbocharged as countries seek to strengthen energy security

Researchers recently revealed that emissions from mining a single Bitcoin multiplied by 126 times between 2016 and 2021, with the cryptocurrency causing an estimated US$12 billion in global climate damage, writes Sean Cummings in Mongabay.

Climate damage from Bitcoin mining grew more than 125 times worse in just five years

According to data from the International Energy Agency, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are the only countries in the Balkans with no announced plan to phase out coal power plants. In a list of 40 countries with the largest shares of coal generation, six in the Balkans – Bulgaria, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Slovenia and Turkey – have announced policies to restrict or end the use of coal at some point. Bulgaria, Montenegro and Slovenia have national plans to end coal power, and North Macedonia has accepted coal generation will need to be phased out. Turkey has committed to achieving net-zero emissions but has not yet adopted an end date for coal generation. Bosnia and Herzegovina has five operating coal plants with a total capacity of 2073 MW. Serbia has four plants with a total of 4405 MW and a 350 MW unit under construction.

Coal phaseout in SEE: countries have made pledges, but some are still silent

A European Court of Auditors assessment of €12.5 billion (US$16 billion) spent between 2014 and 2020 on just transition projects in seven coal regions “has had a limited impact on both jobs and energy transition”. The review considered the funding of projects in Germany, Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic and Spain. The report found funding tended to be used for health and infrastructure projects that did little to accelerate the transition to renewable energy. The report noted that while funding was provided for retraining laid-off coal workers, a lack of data meant it was impossible to determine whether it helped find new jobs. The auditors noted that “insufficient attention” had been paid to projects to mitigate methane emissions from former coal mines.

EU auditors say aid for coal regions failed to spur climate transition

The world’s leaders are failing badly in ensuring the rapid phase-down of planet-warming emissions from coal-fired power plants in emerging economies, writes Joseph Curtin from the Rockefeller Foundation in the New York Times.

To Avoid Climate Disaster, One Task Is More Urgent Than Anything Else

The latest update of the Global Coal Exit List by the German environmental group Urgewald estimates almost half of the 1062 companies involved in thermal coal are still developing new coal projects. The 2022 update estimates about 476,000 MW of new coal power projects are still under consideration, with 61 per cent in China. The report estimates over 2500 million tonnes a year of new coal mining capacity are in some stage of development, with Coal India the single largest project developer. China, India, Australia, Russia and South Africa account for 92 per cent of the new mine capacity under consideration. “Investors, banks and insurers should ban these coal developers from their portfolios immediately,” said Heffa Schücking, the director of Urgewald.

‘Reckless’ coal firms plan climate-busting expansion, study finds

The Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility has filed a shareholder resolution to BHP, the world’s largest exporter of metallurgical coal, calling on the company to “proactively push” for constructive climate policies and ensure “none of its industry associations are lobbying against a 1.5°C trajectory.” The resolution also calls on the company to adopt best-practice measurement technologies for accurately measuring fugitive methane emissions from coal mining, support an end to fossil fuel subsidies and back an “enabling policy for a global green iron and steel industry.” BHP is the world’s largest exporter of metallurgical coal.

BHP Urged to Step Up Climate Advocacy by Shareholder Activists

European Union emissions trading scheme credits hit a record high of €99 per tonne (US$99.3 per tonne), driven by reduced hydro, nuclear and wind generation, increased demand and higher gas generation. The higher gas generation has driven demand for emissions credits, as extreme gas prices encouraged increased coal generation. The European Commission has announced that €29 billion (US$29 billion) up to 2030 is available to compensate energy-intensive industries to offset some of the increased energy costs caused by the cost of emissions credits.

EU carbon price hits record as gas shortages force return to coal

UN Race to Zero change has a knock-on effect on global finance alliance: The mid-June decision by the United Nations-backed Race to Zero to require members to “phase down and out all unabated fossil fuels” has had knock-on effects on the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ). The alliance, which was “anchored in the Race to Zero campaign to ensure credibility and consistency”, has 450 finance sector members, many of which support new coal projects. In response to the policy change by Race to Zero, GFANZ stated, “there is no rationale for financing new coal projects”. An anonymous source associated with GFANZ said the Race to Zero is considering creating an inspector general role to ensure alliance members comply with policy commitments.

Finance groups risk being kicked out of Mark Carney-led climate coalition

A study by Imperial College researchers and published by the International Monetary Fund estimates switching from coal power to renewables would result in US$78 trillion in benefits from reduced health impacts and damage from climate change. The study assessed the cost of replacing coal capacity with renewables and compensating coal utilities for their economic loss, and the value of benefits from applying a carbon price to emissions reductions to achieve the 1.5°C temperature increase goal of the Paris Agreement. The study argues that the financing needs of the transition – which could be 0.5 per cent to 3.5 per cent of wealthy countries’ GDP – are significant but is small compared to the benefits.

Phasing out coal could generate ‘social benefits’ worth $78 trillion

A new study estimates that achieving the Paris Agreement goal of keeping the global temperature increase to 1.5°C may require the early closure of a “significant portion” of coal mines and other fossil fuel projects already operating. The study modelled resources in nine of the world’s largest coal-producing countries and 25,000 oil and gas fields. The study’s central prediction was that these projects could produce 936 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide with 47 per cent from coal, 35 per cent from oil and 18 per cent from gas. The authors estimate achieving the 1.5°C target with a 50 per cent probability would require leaving 40 per cent of the developed reserves of fossil fuels unextracted.

Shut down fossil fuel production sites early to avoid climate chaos, says study

The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates global unabated coal generation will need to fall by 76 per cent by 2030 to stay on track with the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement. The IPCC says that limiting warming to 2°C or below will “require cancellation of new coal power projects and accelerated retirement of existing coal plants”. The report estimates global greenhouse gas emissions need to peak before 2025 and fall by 43 per cent by 2030. They also estimate that methane emissions need to be reduced by about one-third by 2030. Coal mines are a significant source of methane emissions.

UN climate report points to the need for a rapid decline in coal generation

The third annual Global Electricity Review by Ember, a climate think tank, estimates electricity demand surged by 5.4 per cent, the fastest growth rate since 2010, outpacing the growth in clean energy capacity. Coal generation increased by nine per cent in 2021, an all-time high and two per cent higher than the previous record set in 2018. Data reveals new coal generation records we set throughout Asia, including China (up nine per cent), India (up 11 per cent) and Pakistan and the Philippines (both up eight per cent). The boom in coal generation drove a seven per cent increase in greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector.

Coal generation increased in 2021

The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates global greenhouse gas emissions increased by six per cent in 2021 compared to the year before, rebounding to a higher level than before the COVID-19 pandemic. The IEA estimates greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector reached historic highs, exceeding the previous year-on-year increase record set in 2010. The IEA estimates coal burning accounted for over 40 per cent of the growth in 2021 of greenhouse gas emissions. Coal power plants alone accounted for an estimated 10.5 gigatonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, 200 million tonnes higher than the previous record set in 2018. The growth in coal generation occurred as electricity demand increased faster than renewables grew due to gas-to-coal switching in response to high gas prices in Europe and the US.

Increased coal use drives record greenhouse gas emissions

A review of the European power sector by the Ember, a UK-based climate policy think tank, found electricity from coal generation in European Union (EU) countries declined by just three per cent in 2021 compared to pre-COVID levels in 2019. Electricity demand in 2021 rebounded to recover almost all the decline experienced during the COVID19 outbreak, with coal generation accounting for 15 per cent of EU demand. However, a 585 per cent increase in the gas price has driven power prices higher. The report found just over half of the new renewable generation since 2019 replaced expensive gas power, with only a sixth replacing coal generation. The most significant declines in coal generation were in Spain and Greece, where coal plant closures took effect, but an increase in Poland mostly offset these.

European coal decline slows as renewables displace costly gas power

A report by the climate policy think tank Ember and Europe Beyond Coal found that only nine of 21 major European power utilities have committed to end coal generation in the European Union and OECD countries by 2030 and the rest of the world by 2040. The review found the worst-performing utilities are headquartered in Poland, Czechia, Germany, Bulgaria and Finland. The report found 16 of the 21 power utilities have adopted the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. Five utilities – CEZ, EnBW, Fortum/Uniper, PGE and RWE – have not adopted strategies with the International Energy Agency targets of a 2030 coal phase-out in the EU and OECD countries and a 2040 end date in the rest of the world.

Report finds European utilities failing to meet 2030 coal exit target

In his annual letter to shareholders, the CEO of BlackRock, Larry Fink, has defended the fund’s approach on climate policies as being about long-term financial benefits but made no new coal or climate commitments. BlackRock is the world’s largest asset management firm with over US$10 trillion in assets under management and has an estimated US$85 billion invested in coal companies, over a quarter of which is in companies planning to expand their coal business. BlackRock’s Big Problem, an international coalition of NGO groups, said BlackRock has failed to implement coal exclusion measures announced in Fink’s 2020 letter. A report on the firm’s 2030 emissions reduction target, which was due to be published by the end of 2021, has not yet been released.

BlackRock CEO makes no new coal commitments in his annual letter

The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Coal 2021 report estimates total coal consumption will increase by six per cent in 2021 to 7.9 billion tonnes after a 4.4 per cent decline in 2020. The IEA attributes the growth this year to a rebound in demand in China, India and the US after a decline in 2020 caused by COVID-19 restrictions. The IEA notes the bulk of the increased consumption is concentrated in China (up 159 million tonnes), India (up 125 million tonnes) and the United States (up 74 million tonnes). The IEA estimates metallurgical coal consumption will increase by only two million tonnes in 2021, with future growth contingent on increased electric arc furnace production of steel and the rate of deployment of hydrogen-based furnaces. The report acknowledges comments on the draft report from members of the IEA Coal Industry Advisory Board, a group of coal industry executives.

IEA reports coal use growth after COVID-19 rebound

A survey of residents exposed to PM2.5 fine particle air pollution from the six-week Hazelwood coal mine fire in 2014 found increased hospital admissions in the five years after the disaster. A paper in the International Journal of Epidemiology found a 10 microgram per cubic meter increase in PM2.5 pollution was associated with a nine per cent increase in hospitalisation for respiratory conditions in the next five years, especially for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The study, which tracked 2725 residents from an exposed town and a comparator location, found more women were affected than men.

Study finds increased hospitalisations after Hazelwood mine fire

The European Union’s (EU) carbon futures price has exceeded €80 (US$90.27) per tonne for the first time, a 140 per cent increase this year. In December 2020 the carbon price crossed the €31 per tonne threshold for the first time. Since then, the EU has adopted more ambitious greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets and increased gas costs have made coal power generation more attractive. Increased coal generation has required utilities to buy more carbon allowances. Other factors affecting the carbon price include Germany’s proposed coal exit schedule and the first EU annual auction on December 20.

European Union carbon price keep rising

Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) estimates global steel production could be almost greenhouse-gas-emissions-free by 2050 if US$278 billion is invested in hydrogen-fired steel production and increased electric arc furnace (EAF) production based on steel scrap. BNEF estimates hydrogen-based steel could be the cheapest option by 2050, accounting for about 31 per cent of the market. BNEF estimates EAF production could account for a further 45 per cent of steel production in 2050, up from its current share of about 25 per cent. BNEF estimates coal-based blast furnace production could fall from 70 per cent to about 18 per cent, with those plants fitted with carbon capture and storage. Other technologies would account for the balance of production. The steel sector currently accounts for about seven per cent of greenhouse gas emissions.

Study points to a declining role for coal in the steel sector

Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) announced it will slowly phase out coal generation by 2050 but is pinning its hopes on the development of carbon capture and storage to cut emissions. KEPCO, which has 35,063 MW of operating coal plant capacity, said it planned to have CCS fitted to a 500 MW coal unit and a 150 MW gas unit by 2030. The company said it aimed to halve the cost of CCS. In 2013 KEPCO commissioned a small 10 MW post-combustion CO2 capture on the 500 MW Unit 8 at its Boryeong power plant. Based on the performance of the Boryeong plant, a 2019 academic paper in Korean Chemical Engineering Research estimated it would cost about US$35 to US$44 per tonne of captured carbon dioxide, excluding the cost of transportation and storage. This would increase the cost of energy from a notional 1000 MW plant by over 54 per cent. There is currently only one commercial coal plant in the world with CCS, SaskPower’s trouble-plagued Boundary Dam 3 unit in Saskatchewan.

KEPCO pins hopes on CCS as part of coal plans

There were encouraging signs of the shift away from coal at COP26 but a lot of hard work lies ahead, especially in ensuring a just transition, writes Nikos Tsafos from the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The battle for coal at COP26

The softening of the language on coal in the Glasgow Agreement followed negotiations between China, India, the US and the European Union, writes Karl Mathieson in Politico.

The coal demand that almost sunk the Glasgow climate deal

Bloomberg Philanthropies, the foundation that was established by former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, has announced it will increase funding support to groups in seven countries and the European Union which are working to retire existing coal plants and switch to clean energy. It will also provide funding and other support to groups in 25 countries where coal generation is projected to grow and where it is not currently providing support. The foundation said its aim is to close a quarter of the world’s 2445 remaining coal plants by 2025 and ensure all 519 proposed coal plants do not proceed.

Bloomberg Philanthropies to expand anti-coal support

The G20 leaders’ summit has for the first time agreed to the goal of limiting global heating to 1.5°C and agreed to end international public finance for new unabated coal generation by the end of 2021. The G20 represents 19 countries and the European Union and accounts for 80 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. However, the push by the Italian Government, which hosted the talks, to get the G20 to agree to a transition away from domestic coal power was blocked by the major fossil fuel producing and consuming countries of Australia, Russia, India and China. The failure to agree on cuts to domestic coal generation has cast a shadow over the COP26 conference in Glasgow with both the United Nations and the UK expressing concern about the ability to make further progress on restrictions on coal.

G20 resolution on coal phase-out blocked by a handful of countries

A report to the United Nations estimates current government plans and projections could result in 240 per cent more coal being produced in 2030 than is consistent with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. The Production Gap Report 2021, prepared by the Stockholm Environment Institute, argues coal production will have to decline by 11 per cent per year between 2020 and 2030 to be consistent with a 1.5°C pathway.

Report estimates coal production overshoot for 1.5 degree target

The 2021 Global Coal Exit list published by Urgewald and 40 other NGOs estimates 503 of the 1030 companies that form the bulk of the global coal mining and power industry are still planning new mines, power plants or coal infrastructure. The report by the groups estimates the proposed projects represent up to 480 GW of new coal-fired power capacity and 1.8 billion tonnes of coal a year and 480,000 MW of new coal plant capacity. Of the companies on the list only 32 have announced coal exit dates consistent with achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. However, they note that many major companies’ exit from coal amounts to selling assets to another company rather than closing the capacity and retiring them from production.

Report finds most coal mining and power utilities still planning to expand

In its latest World Energy Outlook, the International Energy Agency (IEA) notes coal generation provides only one-third of global electricity but is responsible for nearly three-quarters of power sector carbon dioxide emissions. In its Net Zero Emissions scenario the IEA estimates coal plant retirements will have to approach 100,000 MW a year to 2030, which is almost double the rate of retirements which have already been pledged by governments. The IEA estimates coal demand will decline by about 10 per cent by 2030 in line with announced government commitments but this would increase to a 55 per cent decline if governments implement measures to reach the target of net zero emissions by 2050.

International Energy Agency outlines need to accelerate coal phase-out

Ahead of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow the World Health Organization (WHO) has backed the need for a “complete phase-out of coal” by 2030 in OECD countries “at the very latest” and 2040 in non-OECD countries. The WHO called on the world’s leaders to “avert the impending health catastrophe by limiting global warming to 1.5°C” and warned in its Special Report on Climate Change and Health that “the burning of fossil fuels is killing us”.

World Health Organization backs 2030 end for coal in OECD countries

A coalition of national governments – Sri Lanka, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, Montenegro and the UK – have launched the No New Coal Power Compact, which requires supporters to cease permitting of new coal power plants and end new construction of unabated coal plants by the end of 2021. Signatory countries are aiming to enlist other countries to sign on to the compact ahead of the COP26 climate negotiations in Glasgow in November. Malaysia, which currently has five coal plants with a combined capacity of 13,424 MW, has announced it will not build any new coal plants. Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaako said Malaysia will build several gas plants to replace existing coal plants.

Global coalition launched to build support for end to coal plants

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) new Global Air Quality Guidelines has cut the recommended standard for PM2.5 fine particle pollution from 10 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m3) to 5 µg/m3. It also slashed the recommended nitrogen dioxide level by 75 per cent from 40 µg/m3 to 10 µg/m3. The WHO estimates up to 80 per cent of the deaths caused by PM2.5 fine particle pollution could be avoided if the new standard is implemented. Estimates of the annual death toll from PM2.5 pollution are between 3 million and 8 million deaths per year. The WHO’s air pollution guidelines were last updated in 2005.

World Health Organization tightens air pollution guidelines

A report by researchers at University of Oxford have excluded carbon capture and storage (CCS) fitted to fossil fuel plants from a model of the world’s future energy system on the grounds the technology is unlikely to ever be competitive. The report noted the technology is currently a very small, low-growth sector and in the 50 years since its inception “has exhibited no promising cost improvements”. The researchers concluded that within a few decades electricity produced with CCS “will likely not be competitive even if CCS is free.”

Report estimates carbon capture not competitive even if free

A report for the World Business Council on Sustainable Development estimates the provision of process heat for industry accounted for 29 per cent of final energy use in 2018, with greenhouse gas emissions from the sector on a par with those from transport. The report estimates coal was used to produce 41 per cent of the energy used for industrial heat applications. Bloomberg New Energy Finance estimates China, France, Germany, Italy, South Korea and the UK are the most likely countries to deploy renewables based-industrial heat as they have electricity prices that are competitive with gas, existing providers of renewable heat solutions and favourable government policies such as a carbon price.

Report charts alternatives to coal in industrial uses of heat

The global pipeline of new coal plant projects has already shrunk dramatically since 2015, bringing the world closer to a pathway consistent with international climate goals, write Leo Roberts from E3G and Christine Shearer from Global Energy Monitor in Carbon Brief.

World’s coal-power pipeline has shrunk by three-quarters

Research by CEE Bankwatch Network and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air estimates pollution from 18 coal plants in the Western Balkans was responsible for 19,000 premature deaths between 2018 and 2020. The study, which examined emissions from coal plants in Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Montenegro, estimates about half the deaths occurred in surrounding European Union (EU) countries due to the long-distance transport of sulphur dioxide emissions. The study estimates sulphur dioxide emissions from the 18 plants are 2.5 times greater than all 221 coal plants in the EU. The plants continue to operate in breach of the requirements of the pollution standards of the Large Combustion Plants Directive.

Study estimates Western Balkans coal plants caused 19,000 deaths

Placing a 1.5 degree C-centred scenario at the heart of the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook would model the pathways needed to allow countries, companies and communities to cooperate toward this goal, writes Rebecca M Peters in Scientific American.

The IEA needs to make a 1.5 degree target the centrepiece of its World Energy Outlook

Environment ministers from the Group of 20 (G20) nations remain divided over setting an end date for coal power. Italy and the UK pushed for a 2030 coal end date but this was opposed by Russia, India, China and other countries. The President of the G20 stated that “despite a prolonged and tireless discussion” to set a date to phase out coal and end international public coal” a consensus view could not be reached. The failure to agree on an end date raises doubt about how far the COP26 climate negotiations in Glasgow in November will progress if agreement cannot be reached on the issue. The G20 group of countries will meet again ahead of the COP26 conference. The G20 countries account for about 80 per cent of global greenhouse emissions.

G20 divided over push to phase out coal power

The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates the global economic rebound could result in electricity demand growing by almost five per cent in 2021 and four per cent in 2022, with the bulk of the growth occurring in the Asia-Pacific region. The IEA estimates about half the increase will be in China with global carbon dioxide emissions increasing by 3.5 per cent in 2021 and 2.5 per cent in 2022. The IEA estimates that while combined hydropower, wind and solar generation will grow by about eight per cent in 2021 and six per cent in 2022, the growth will be outpaced by additional thermal power generation, particularly coal power. The agency estimates coal generation is set to increase by almost five per cent in 2021 and a further three per cent in 2022. Last year the IEA estimated coal generation would need to fall by over six per cent a year to reach the target of net zero emissions by 2050.

IEA warns of coal generation rebound

A study by Boston University’s Global Development Policy Centre estimates China accounted for only 13 per cent of total financing for overseas coal power projects between 2013 and mid-2019. However, in that period China accounted for 50 per cent of global public finance commitments for overseas coal projects. The study estimates 87 per cent of public and private finance for overseas coal plants is funded by major private and public financial institutions from Japan, the US and UK. The authors endorse the need for phasing out public and private overseas coal projects but also urge the G20 group of countries to formalise a framework for disclosure of coal plant funding “so the global community can properly track, monitor and hold public and private actors accountable to new commitments.”

Private finance dominates public funders of coal plants

A review by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) of sulphur dioxide emissions from 18 coal plants in the Western Balkans found they emit twice as much as all 221 coal plants in the European Union (EU). The plants are in Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo. Under the terms of the 2005 Energy Community Treaty, 17 of the 18 plants are required to meet the pollution control standards of the EU’s large combustion plant directive to cut sulphur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides and dust pollution. CREA found that three years after the January 2018 deadline only two plants have installed desulphurisation equipment and in neither case is it in commercial operation. The other plants either have no plans to close or to fit pollution control equipment despite the threat to public health.

Pollution from Western Balkan coal plants dwarfs European Union emissions

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (BCSD), a lobby group representing 200 major multinational companies, has joined the Powering Past Coal Alliance. BCSD stated it would “leverage” its global network of 60 partner national business organisations “to develop coal-free supply chain plans, in addition to their commitments to renewable deployments.” BCSD partner groups represent about 5000 major companies.

Global industry lobby group flags need for coal-free supply chains

The world’s steel sector could put an estimated US$70 billion of investment at risk of stranding if it pursues investment in new carbon-intensive steel projects, writes Caitlin Swalec from Global Energy Monitor in Carbon Brief.

Steel plants poised to become stranded assets or bust climate targets

New research published in Environmental Research Letters argues limiting global heating to a 1.75°C increase in global temperatures without relying on uncertain large-scale carbon dioxide removal technologies will require a 70 per cent fall in carbon dioxide emissions by 2030. This would require the almost total elimination of unabated coal consumption by 2030. The authors estimate excluding reliance on carbon removal technologies would require dramatically more ambitious action including the commission of 1000 gigawatts (GW) of new renewables capacity a year by the mid-2020s. This would be four times greater than current renewables installation rates.

Study urges accelerated coal phase-out to avoid reliance on novel technologies

A global review by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) of the costs of renewable energy in 2020 has found the cost of onshore wind generation fell by 13 per cent, offshore wind by 9 per cent and solar PV by 7 per cent compared to 2019. IRENA estimates 800,000 MW of existing coal plants generate power that is more expensive than electricity from new solar or onshore wind projects commissioned in 2021. The report estimates 141,000 MW of installed coal capacity in India is now more expensive than new renewable capacity. It estimates 149,000 MW or 61 per cent of coal capacity in the US is more expensive than new renewables. In Germany, which is currently under pressure to bring its coal exit date forward from the legislated end date of 2038, IRENA estimates no coal generation is cheaper than new renewables.

Falling cost of renewables undercuts new and existing coal generation

Proposals to build hundreds of new coal mines could raise global output of the fossil fuel by 30%, putting the world’s climate goals and up to US$91 billion of investment at risk, writes Ryan Driskell Tate from Global Energy Monitor in Carbon Brief.

Hundreds of planned coal mines ‘incompatible with 1.5°C target’

The final communique of the G7 countries agreed to “commit now to an end to new direct government support for unabated international thermal coal power generation by the end of 2021”. It remains unclear whether Japan will change its policy to reflect this with an official stating only that “something should be announced by the end of the year.” The G7 leaders – from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the US and the European Union – failed to set a 2030 end date for domestic coal power generation with Japan in particular objecting. The compromise text stated the G7 countries committed to “an overwhelmingly decarbonised power system in the 2030s” and to “accelerate the transition away from unabated coal capacity.”

Mixed result on coal from G7 leaders summit

An international coalition of investors –including JPMorgan, Fidelity, BNP Paribas and Amundi and Sumitomo Mitsui – are pressing five major Asian power utilities to phase out use of coal in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement. The five utilities – China Resources Power Holdings and CLP Holdings, Malaysia’s Tenaga Nasional Berhad, Japan’s Chubu Electric Power and J-Power – are major greenhouse gas emitters with significant coal plant capacity. The Asian Investor Group on Climate Change, which has which has 56 members, plans to target Asian utilities not being lobbied by the Climate Action 100+ initiative.

Investors pressure five Asian power producers to exit coal

The G7 environment ministers have agreed the Paris Agreement target of limiting global heating to a 1.5 degree temperature increase requires an end to the financing of new coal plants without carbon capture and storage. The communique issued by the ministers stated member countries agreed to end “new direct government support” for coal plants by the end of 2021. G7 member countries – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the US and the European Union – agreed to review trade, export and development finance polices in line with the commitment. Japan reportedly resisted the proposed end to financing new coal plants, arguing China could fill the void, but ultimately supported the commitment.

G7 ministers agree to end support for new coal plants in 2021

In the view of the IEA the world needs a “radical” shift towards renewables to reach net zero emissions by 2050 and secure the 1.5°C goal, writes a team of authors for Carbon Brief.

IEA: Renewables should overtake coal ‘within five years’ to secure 1.5°C goal

The IEA’s net zero emissions (NZE) scenario by 2050 argues that no new unabated coal power plants should be approved and there is no need for new coal mines or extensions. The IEA states the least efficient coal plants should be retired by 2030 but proposes any coal plants still online in 2040 should be retrofitted with carbon capture and storage. It estimates coal demand would fall by 90 per cent by 2050 in its NZE scenario. The IEA estimates sulphur dioxide emissions would fall by 85 per cent between 2020 and 2050, mostly due to the closure of coal power plants and industrial facilities. Combined with other changes in the NZE scenario, it estimates the switch to clean energy would avoid the premature deaths of about 2 million people per year with about 85 per cent of them in emerging economies.

IEA 2050 scenario notes health benefits of coal phase-out

The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates renewables will account for about 90 per cent of all new electricity generation capacity additions in 2021 and 2022. The IEA reports a 90 per cent increase in wind capacity additions was complemented with a 23 per cent increase in solar capacity to almost 135,000 megawatts (MW) in 2020. The report states 80 per cent of the increase in renewables capacity in the year to the end of 2020 were in China where project developers had to meet a deadline to qualify for a feed-in tariff. The IEA anticipates the high level of renewables deployment will continue with 270,000 MW becoming operational in 2021 and 280,000 MW in 2022, an installation rate 50 per cent higher than occurred between 2017 and 2019.

Renewables eclipse fossil fuels in new capacity estimates by International Energy Agency

Analysts argue the carbon allowances in the European Union's Emissions Trading System (ETS) are likely to remain at over €50 per tonne (US$61 per tonne). They argue the recent price surge has been driven by banks and investors who estimate future prices will trend higher to meet the European Parliament’s target of cutting emissions by 2030 to 55 per cent of 1990 levels. The surge in ETS allowances from less than €10 per tonne (US$12 per tonne) in 2018 will have the effect of making most EU coal generation unprofitable. Refinitiv estimates European power emissions will be 50 million tonnes lower this year than they would be without a carbon price. However, as the allowances apply to industrial sectors as well as power generators, some analysts warn that some industry groups may lobby for loopholes to ease financial pressure on industries that are unable to switch quickly to low-carbon alternatives.

European Union carbon price tipped to stay high

The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates coal demand could increase by 4.5 per cent in 2021, nearing its 2014 peak. The IEA’s Global Energy Review 2021 estimates three-quarters of the increase in coal demand is attributable to the electricity sector. The IEA estimates 80 per cent of the growth is in Asia with China accounting for much of the increase. Electricity generation from wind and solar are projected to increase by 17 per cent and 18 per cent respectively compared to 2020. However, the increase in coal generation is expected to be 60 per cent greater than the rise in renewables generation.

International Energy Agency forecasts coal generation surge in 2021

The development of a fossil-fuel registry documenting the amount of embedded carbon dioxide in coal, oil and gas projects globally will help governments and international organisations plan for the low-carbon world ahead, writes Mark Campanale in the Financial Times.

A carbon registry leaves polluters with nowhere left to hide

A review of global electricity generation estimates growth in wind and solar helped push coal power to a record fall of 4 per cent in 2020. However, the report by the energy think tank Ember notes the International Energy Agency’s model estimates coal generation needs to decline by 14 per cent a year to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. The report estimates wind and solar generation grew by 15 per cent in 2020 but capacity will need to accelerate as coal generation is increasing in China, India and the US as the economic shock from COVID-19 diminishes. In 2020 coal generation declined in four major OECD countries with a 20 per cent decline in the US, a 13 per cent fall in South Korea and falls of five per cent and one per cent in India and Japan respectively. China’s coal generation now accounts for 53 per cent of global coal generation.

Coal generation dipped in 2020 but rebound may outpace renewables

A report by Global Energy Monitor estimates the construction or expansion of 432 proposed new or existing coal mines could release about 13.5 million tons of methane a year, a 30 per cent increase on current emissions from coal operations. As methane in the atmosphere absorbs far more energy than carbon dioxide, it is ranked as a very potent greenhouse gas. The report estimates the proposed new and expanded mines, many in some of the gassiest coal formations, would add between 378 million tonnes and 1.13 billion tonnes of methane over 20-year and 100-year time horizons respectively. The bulk of the mines reviewed, which have a combined capacity of 2.3 billion tonnes a year, are in China, Russia and Australia.

Report reveals methane emissions risk from new coal mines

The board of HSBC has agreed to table a resolution proposing to phase out finance for coal plants in the European Union and OECD countries by 2030. The ban on coal finance will extend globally by 2040. The resolution follows ShareAction and a coalition of investors, which have US$2.4 trillion under management, proposing their own resolution. The Rainforest Action Network estimates that HSBC is Europe’s second largest financier of fossil fuels. The company’s resolution, which will be binding on the board if agreed to by 75 per cent of the shares voted, will be put to the company’s annual general meeting on May 28. ShareAction and the investor coalition have withdrawn their resolution but flagged they would resubmit a resolution next year if dissatisfied with HSBC’s implementation of its policy.

HSBC shareholders to vote on coal financing exit

Global Energy Monitor (GEM) has launched the Global Coal Mine Tracker which profiles all of the world’s coal mines with a capacity of over 5 million tonnes per annum and every proposed mine with a capacity of 1 million tonnes per annum. The map and underlying data will be updated every six months with the aim of including all mines producing over one million tonnes by the January 2022 edition. GEM has also launched the Global Steel Plant Tracker which documents all steel plants currently producing over one million tonnes of crude steel per year. The steel plant tracker is currently being expanded to include all plants over the one million tonne threshold which have been proposed, mothballed or retired since 2020.

New coal mine and steel databases launched

Increasing pressure to decarbonise heavy industry sectors has spurred some major companies to invest in pathways to cut coal from steel production, writes Michael Pooler in the Financial Times.

‘Green steel’: the race to clean up one of the world’s dirtiest industries

Research by Harvard University and others has estimated that fine particle pollution from fossil fuels accounted for about 8.7 million deaths or 18 per cent of all 2018 deaths. The study, which was published in the journal Environmental Research, noted its estimate is far higher than the 4.2 million deaths the 2019 Global Burden of Disease report published by The Lancet. The authors of the latest study state they undertook more detailed modelling of the health impacts of PM2.5 fine particle air pollution. The study found the greatest premature death toll due to fine particle air pollution occurs in India (2.5 million) and China (2.4 million), followed by parts of eastern US, Europe and Southeast Asia.

Study estimates global death toll from fossil fuel pollution at 8.7 million

An executive order by President Biden includes a commitment to “identify steps through which the United States can promote ending international financing of carbon-intensive fossil fuel-based energy” while promoting green development. While details of what is intended are yet to be finalised, NGO groups have welcomed the announcement as a major breakthrough if it includes coal, gas and oil. To the dismay of First Nations and environment groups, an executive order freezing the sale of leases to produce oil and gas from public land excluded coal leases.

President Biden signals shift away from international financing for fossil fuels

While many experts believe coal is now in an unstoppable death spiral, the pace of change is slow when compared to the scale of the climate crisis we face, writes Laura Paddison in HuffPost.

The world’s long, messy breakup with coal

A new report by energy think tanks Ember and Agora Energiewende has found that in 2020 renewable generation in the European Union countries surpassed fossil fuel generation for the first time. Fossil fuel generation fell from 40 per cent in 2019 to 37 per cent in 2020 with renewables rising from 35 per cent to 38 per cent. The report notes wind and solar generation respectively rose by nine per cent and 15 per cent in 2020 with the share from hydro and biomass remaining unchanged. Coal generation fell by 20 per cent in 2020 and has nearly halved since 2015.

Report reveals Europe’s coal power has halved since 2015

Europe's foreign ministers have called for the “phasing out of unabated coal in energy production and – as a first step – an immediate end to all financing of new coal infrastructure in third countries.” The inclusion of the wording on the coal phase out was initially opposed by Poland, but Poland changed its stance when the draft was amended to allow coal power with carbon capture and storage. The ministers emphasised the need for international initiatives to support a just transition away from “unabated” coal power and also to reduce methane emissions.

European Union calls for global coal power phase out

To the dismay of civil society groups, the Bulgarian Supreme Administrative Court has referred back to a lower court a challenge against the decision by the Bulgarian government to allow the state-owned 1602 MW Maritsa East 2 lignite plant to breach European Union (EU) sulphur dioxide pollution limits. ClientEarth, an environmental law group, noted that while the Supreme Administrative Court critiqued the lower court’s initial decision, it did not order the plant to stop polluting beyond permissible levels. In March, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that the Bulgarian government’s 2018 decision to allow the plant to emit almost double the amount of sulphur dioxide allowed by the EU was illegal. The Bulgarian government plans to continue operating coal plants until 2038 and has resisted measures to decarbonise the power sector.

Bulgarian supreme court allows coal super-polluter to operate despite recognition it breaches EU law

The European power utility EPH has announced that by 2025 it will transfer its 50 per cent stake in LEAG, which operates the 960 MW Schkopau lignite plant and the 37 MW Wahlitz combined heat and power plant, into a new sister company, EP Energy Transition. EPH’s wholly-owned subsidiary, JTSD, which owns the MIBRAG lignite mining company, will also be transferred into the new entity. While EPH claimed it will “completely abandon coal as a power generation source by 2030”, EP Energy Transition will have the same shareholder structure as EPH. The new company will also hold new gas plants, battery projects and renewables. EPH is owned by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky. Two other German utilities, RWE and STEAG, have moved to separate coal plants from renewables focussed companies. Christoph Dollhausen from STEAG’s renewables entity Iqony said the new company gets “more visibility, bank financing and makes it much easier to place our services with customers.” 

German Coal Companies Split Off Dirty Assets to Clean Image

The Polish Ministry of Climate and Environment has released an update to the government’s energy strategy, PEP2040, that projects a rapid increase in renewables. However, it also proposes delaying the retirement of some coal plants by several years until new nuclear capacity is commissioned in the 2030s. The strategy estimates Poland’s onshore wind capacity could expand from 8000 MW to 20,000 MW by 2040 and a new offshore wind sector with 18,000 MW of capacity by 2040. The plan provides no estimate of solar capacity and includes biomass and biogas in its definition of renewables. Coal generation currently accounts for 70 per cent share of Poland’s electricity. The revised strategy estimates coal and gas could account for 27 per cent of generation by 2040.  The plan proposes conventional nuclear plants and small modular nuclear reactors – a technology that has not yet been commercially deployed – could supply 23 per cent of electricity by 2040.

Poland aims to produce three quarters of power from renewables and nuclear by 2040

In a review of the West Cumbria Mining’s proposed Whitehaven mine, the climate policy think tank Ember argues that the UK government has underestimated methane emissions by up to 15 times. In December 2022, the Minister for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities granted planning permission for West Cumbria Mining’s proposed mine, citing a report by a planning inspector. Ember argues that the inspector relied on the company’s estimates of methane emissions and the mitigation measures rather than accepted international standards. Rather than use the UK’s National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory estimates for underground coal mines, the company used its estimates. Ember argues these estimates understate likely emissions by 3.5 times. The company stated it would destroy over 95 per cent of coal mine methane emissions from the project. But the International Energy Agency estimates that 69 per cent is a more realistic performance standard for an underground coking coal mine. Ember argues the company underestimates the methane impact of the mine by up to 15 times compared to international benchmarks. Two UK NGOs – Friends of the Earth and South Lakes Action on Climate Change – have filed legal challenges against the government’s decision.

Whitehaven coal mine approval jeopardises UK’s international commitments

A review of Turkiye’s power sector by the climate policy think tank Ember reveals coal generation set a record after increasing by 10 per cent over the year before and marginally higher than the previous record in 2018. Part of the increase in coal generation is due to the commissioning in the latter half of 2022 of the 1300 GW Hunutlu imported coal plant. Power generation from imported coal is now four times greater than in 2010, accounting for 20 per cent of total generation. In 2022 imported thermal coal cost US$5.3 billion. Russia has become Turkiye’s leading coal supplier, with 11.3 million tonnes imported in 2022, up from 5.2 million tonnes the year before. Colombia was previously Turkiye’s leading supplier. The country’s energy plan published late in 2022 flags the construction of up to 2500 MW of additional coal capacity by 2035. Wind and solar generation have almost doubled since 2017, accounting for 15.5 per cent in 2022.

Türkiye Electricity Review 2023

A report by the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) estimates a phase out of Polish coal plants by 2030 would avoid about 24,000 premature deaths due to PM2.5 pollution only and save about €58 billion (US$63 billion) in health costs compared to a 2049 end date. The Polish Government will shortly release the 2040 Energy Strategy, which is likely to back a later coal phase out, a measure backed by coal sector unions. HEAL has called for any provision by the European Union of state aid for Poland to be conditional on a clear and ambitious coal phase out schedule. The Global Coal Plant Tracker notes that Poland has 44 operating coal plants with a combined capacity of 30,180 MW with an additional 100 MW unit under construction.

An early coal phase-out in Poland can save lives, improve health and strengthen the economy

Green Alliance, a UK environmental policy think tank, estimates West Cumbria Mining’s proposed Whitehaven coal mine would emit about 17,500 tonnes of methane every year, undercutting the UK government’s commitment to the global methane pledge that requires a 30 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030. The government said that the mine would be carbon neutral but has not detailed how this would be achieved. The Green Alliance said for the mine to be carbon-neutral, even if not accounting for the emissions when burnt, it would require most of the mine’s methane emissions and carbon dioxide to be captured. The group notes the best performing mines rarely capture more than 50 per cent of emissions. Michael Gove, the UK Secretary of State for Levelling Up, granted planning approval for the mine in December. Two groups have launched legal appeals against the decision.

New Cumbria coalmine likely to break UK’s climate pledge, analysis says

Backlash after UK Government approves new Cumbria mine: The UK’s Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Michael Gove, has granted planning approval for West Cumbria Mining’s proposed Whitehaven metallurgical coal mine in Cumbria. The decision follows a planning inquiry at which Friends of the Earth and South Lakes Action on Climate Change opposed the project as incompatible with meeting the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to a 1.5°C increase. Gove said he agreed with the Planning Inspectorate’s conclusion that dismissed the prospect that growth in direct reduced iron production would undercut demand for metallurgical coal. Gove also agreed that the emissions from burning Cumbrian coal “may well be considered neutral or slightly beneficial” compared to other coal sources. The decision has been criticised by environmental groups, the opposition Labour Party and the Greens. Friends of the Earth said they would review the possibility of appealing against the decision. John Kerry, the climate envoy of US President Joe Biden, said he would closely review the decision.

New Cumbria coalmine: backlash grows as steel industry plays down demand

The UK Secretary of State responsible for Levelling Up said carbon capture and storage (CCS) could catch the emissions of coal produced from the Whitehaven mine in Cumbria he approved. There’s only one problem: CCS will not cancel out the mine’s emissions because it barely exists, writes Marc Hudson from the University of Sussex in The Conversation.

Cumbria coal mine: empty promises of carbon capture tech have excused digging up more fossil fuel for decades

Ahead of a decision by the Levelling Up Secretary, Michael Gove, on the proposed Whitehaven coal mine in Cumbria, backbench Conservative MP and former UK President of COP26 in Glasgow, Alok Sharma, has warned against approving the project. “A decision to open a new coal mine would send completely the wrong message and be an own goal,” he said. Gove is expected to approve the mine, with the decision due by December 8. The government delayed the decision three times due to a planning inquiry in September 2021 ahead of the Glasgow conference and ministerial changes. The proposed underground metallurgical coal mine is opposed by residents, environmental groups and the UK Government’s own climate advisory body.

Cumbria coalmine plan is ‘backward step’, says Alok Sharma

If the free allocation of emissions allowances granted to UK steel producers were gradually phased out, steelmaking with green hydrogen would be cheaper than all other options, write Clare Richardson-Barlow, Andrew Pimm and Pepa Ambrosio-Albala from the University of Leeds in The Conversation.

High fossil fuel prices mean UK cannot delay transition to low emissions steel

A report by CEE Bankwatch Network notes that high power prices, drought-affected hydro capacity, coal plant breakdowns and rising biomass prices have hit the energy sector of Western Balkans countries this year. Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina have benefitted from increased power exports from the illegal operation of coal plants in breach of the Energy Community Treaty’s pollution standards. However, continued exports to European Union countries are at risk if a carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) or alternative is implemented in 2026. CEE Bankwatch Network argues Western Balkans nations would stand to raise €2.8 billion (US$2.94 billion) if they adopted a carbon price of €50 (US$52) per tonne. They note the proceeds of an internal carbon price will be available to fund a just transition to renewables, whereas CBAM payments would go to the European Union’s budget.

New report: proposed EU carbon tax to speed up energy transition in the Western Balkans

After 16 years of questionable decisions on its financing, an illegal state guarantee, and objections to its environmental risks, the largest energy project in the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina has, in all likelihood, failed, writes Predrag Blagovcani in Transitions.

Bosnia’s Biggest Power Project Runs Out of Steam

Poland’s General Director for Environmental Protection has approved PGE’s Environmental Impact Assessment for the proposal to extend the operation of the Turow lignite mine to 2044. PGE has yet to obtain a licence for the project. The mine is near the borders of both the Czech Republic and Germany. Residents across the borders oppose mine extension due to the impacts on groundwater supplies and structural damage caused to buildings by drawdown. In late 2020 the European Commission found Poland had violated European law in assessing the project. After prolonged negotiations, the Czech Government agreed to a compensation package, and Poland agreed to reassess the project. Residents remain opposed to the proposal and have indicated they will file further legal challenges against the project.

Flawed Turów Coal Mine Assessment Gets Green Light

Two German states — Eastern Saxony-Anhalt and Brandenburg — have ruled out following the commitment of North Rhine-Westphalia to bring forward the coal phase-out date from 2038 to 2030. A third eastern state, Saxony, had previously ruled out an accelerated phase-out. Legislation adopted in 2020 set 2038 as the end date, with the goal of bringing it forward to 2035 if possible. Eastern states have developed major lignite mines and power plants and have strongly resisted proposals to close coal plants.

Second east German state government leader rejects faster 2030 coal phase-out

Merthyr (South Wales), a privately owned company, has proposed extending the life of the Ffos-y-Fran metallurgical coal mine despite an earlier pledge it would cease operation in September this year. The mine has been operating for 15 years. The company claimed the mine — originally pitched as a land reclamation project along with coal extraction — did not have sufficient funds to complete the rehabilitation as proposed. It is seeking an initial nine-month extension and public consultation on plans to operate for a further three years. Residents said the proposal to continue the operation beyond the September 6 closure date was a “kick in the guts” and that they were “absolutely devastated.” Friends of the Earth Cymru (FOE) said the company could mine a further 250,000 tonnes of coal in the next nine months. FOE said the Welsh Government had reiterated over the last five years that further fossil fuel extraction is incompatible with national climate change targets.

Coal mine: Ffos-y-Fran bid to stay open 'devastates' residents

A report by FERN, a Belgian NGO, finds that the Czech power utility EPH has exploited loopholes in the European Union’s (EU) Renewable Energy Directive that allow member states to provide subsidies for biomass from forests even when used in coal plants. EPH has interests in coal and lignite plants in France, Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, the UK and Slovakia. The report estimates that EPH will burn about 4.6 million tonnes of wood in 2022 in its coal power plants. Emissions from burning biomass are also exempt from the EU Emissions Trading Scheme due to accounting rules attributing the emissions to the country producing the forest products. Fern estimates EPH is on track to generate 6.3 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from biomass in 2022, which would cost about €502 million (US$502 million) if EU carbon credits were required.

Report says Czech utility's biomass push prolongs life of coal plants

The 250 megawatt (MW) Brikel lignite-fired plant linked to Bulgarian businessman Hristo Kovachki continues to operate despite residents, environmentalists and regulators’ complaints that the plant breaches pollution standards, writes Elitsa Simeonova in Radio Free Europe.

'We Breathe Filth': A Bulgarian Town's Losing Battle Against A Domineering Coal Plant

The mighty coal industry and bureaucracy are frustrating efforts to shift Bosnia and Herzegovina to be a clean energy production leader, writes Dragan Maksimovic in Deutsche Welle.

Coal and corruption impede rollout of clean energy in Bosnia

Standard Chartered, a major UK-headquartered bank, has confirmed in an email to Market Forces that it will end its investment in PT Adaro Indonesia as the company is “100 per cent dependent on thermal coal”. Adaro is the second largest coal producer in Indonesia and aims to produce between 58 and 60 million tonnes in 2022. Under the terms of its climate policy, Standard Chartered vowed it will not provide financial support to companies building with revenue from thermal coal of over 80 per cent by 2024. In 2021 Adaro earned 96 per cent of its revenue from coal. Market Forces said other banks, including HSBC, SMBC, Mizuho, OCBC, and CIMB, continue to finance Adaro despite their sustainability and coal exclusion policies.

Major UK bank cuts ties with Indonesian mega coal producer

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Minister of Energy, Mining and Industry, Nermin Dzindic, wants the government-owned power utility Elektroprivreda BiH (EPBiH) to rule out searching for another contractor to provide engineering, purchase and construction services for the proposed 450 MW unit 7 at the Tuzla plant. The State Aid Council of BiH recently stated government support for the Tuzla 7 project would be illegal. A year ago, General Electric announced it had withdrawn from the project, and in September 2021, the Chinese Government announced it would not finance new overseas coal units. Pippa Gallop from CEE Bankwatch Network said it “is now a matter of formalities” that the project will be terminated.

Federation of BiH stops Tuzla 7 coal power plant project

The decision on planning permission for the proposed Whitehaven metallurgical coal mine in Cumbria has been delayed and must now be made by August 17. Prime Minister Boris Johnston sacked Communities Secretary Michael Gove on the day he was due to announce his decision. Johnston appointed Greg Clark as the new Communities Secretary, who will need to make a new decision on the application for planning permission. Friends of the Earth (FOE) and South Lakes Against Climate Change appeared at a Planning Inquiry hearing in September 2021 to oppose the project. They argued the mine would increase greenhouse gas emissions, would not displace Russian coal, and would produce for the export market, not local steel mills. Before Gove was sacked, both Johnston and the Environment Secretary, George Eustice, had indicated support for the mine. FOE coal campaigner, Tony Bosworth, said the delay “gives ministers extra time to ensure they make the right decision.”

Cumbria coal mine: Delayed decision expected by mid August

Lord Deben, the chair of the Climate Change Committee (CCC), the UK Government’s climate policy advisory body, described the proposed Whitehaven metallurgical coal mine as “absolutely indefensible.” Deben said the bulk of the coal produced was for export and would not affect the domestic energy cost. Cumbria County Council approved the mine in October 2020, but after the CCC advised against the project, the government directed the Planning Inspectorate to review the project. The Communities Secretary, Michael Gove, was due to announce his decision by July 7. Prime Minister Boris Johnson indicated his support for the project telling parliament on June 22 that the UK should not be importing metallurgical coal “when we have our domestic resources.” Since then, Johnson’s future has become uncertain, with growing calls for him to resign over a domestic political scandal and the resignation of Cabinet members. The government said the announcement of the decision has been delayed and later that day Johnson sacked Gove.

Cumbria coal mine proposal is indefensible, says UK climate chief

Sweden’s national pension fund, AP7, had added a further nine companies to its investment blacklist for failing to adopt transition plans away from coal in line with the Paris Agreement. Four of the newly blacklisted companies – Indian company Adani Enterprises, Indonesian company United Tractors, and Chinese companies Guanghui Energy and Aluminium Corporation of China – were excluded because of their role in coal mining. Five other companies were dropped for their continued operation of coal power plants. Three of these were Chinese companies – China Hongqiao Group, Shenergy and Shenzhen Energy Group – plus the state-owned Malaysian utility Tenaga Nasional Bhd and the Filipino company Metro Pacific Investments.

AP7 dumps 14 more coal and oil sands firms without transition plans

Romania’s Ministry of Energy has released a draft ordinance for public debate, suggesting the end of 2030 as the date for a complete phase-out of coal power. Last year Romania proposed the end of 2032 as the target date for an exit from coal generation. Romania currently has nine operating coal plants with a combined capacity of 4675 MW, with another 330 MW plant mothballed. It proposes that 990 MW of combined capacity at plants operated by state-owned Complex Energetic Oltenia, with a combined capacity of 990 MW, be placed in reserve in 2026. The plan proposes new gas generation and a small modular nuclear reactor be commissioned by 2030. Small modular reactors are a notional technology with no units in commercial operation.

Romania to accelerate coal phaseout deadline to 2030

The Greek Parliament has passed legislation that sets a target for exiting coal generation by 2028 and a goal of renewables accounting for up to 70 per cent of final energy consumption by 2030. Greece currently has three operating coal plants with a combined capacity of 1925 MW and a further 660 MW lignite unit currently under construction. In 2019 the government announced it planned to shut all operating lignite plants by 2023 and all coal plants by 2028. In May 2021, the government was more bullish, stating the coal phase-out would be brought forward to 2025 with the new Ptolemaida V unit converted to run on gas. The latest change in coal exit dates follows the invasion of Ukraine and a new policy of cutting Russian gas imports and increasing domestic lignite-based coal generation.

Greece begins net-zero journey with new climate law

Portugal’s accelerated exit from coal power offers lessons on managing a transition, the role carbon pricing and renewable investments can play, and how utilities have to be involved in the development of just transition plans, writes Anna Gumbau in EnergyMonitor.

What Europe can learn from Portugal’s accelerated coal exit

The Polish Power Plants Association (TGPE), which represents utilities including PGE, Tauron and Energa, has launched a €2.6 million (US$2.95 million) campaign inaccurately blaming the European Union’s climate policies for 60 per cent of the cost of electricity. A news outlet reported the idea for the campaign originated with the Ministry of State Assets, the Polish Government agency responsible for negotiating with the European Commission over state aid for coal mines and power plants. The campaign, featuring billboards and TV advertising, was dismissed by European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans as misleading.

Polish utilities bankroll campaign against European climate policy

Can Germany show us how to leave coal behind?

The Coal Authority, a UK Government agency, has approved Energybuild Mining’s proposal to produce 40 million tonnes of coal over the next 20 years from the Aberpergwm Colliery near Neath Port Talbot. The Welsh Government is opposed to reopening the mine but found it could not reject or alter the proposal as Energybuild applied for the license before responsibility for determining coal permits was devolved to the Welsh Government. The mine will predominantly support the Port Talbot Steelworks owned by Tata Steel. In late 2021 the Welsh Government said coal from the mine would produce about 100 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions and accused the UK of “hypocrisy” for calling for an end of coal at the COP26 conference but supporting the revival of the colliery. UK Greens MP, Caroline Lucas, said the decision “undermines any climate diplomacy that Alok Sharma will be conducting in future months.”)

UK Government approves Welsh mine

The European Commission (EC) has warned Poland it is preparing to cut budget payments due to its refusal to follow a September 2021 European Court of Justice (ECJ) order to pay a €500,000 (US$467,000) fine for each day the Turow mine continues to operate. The outstanding fine now amounts to over €50 million (US$57 million). In May 2021 the ECJ directed Poland to suspend operations at the mine until the completion of the legal case brought by the Czech Republic over the cross-border impacts of the mine. Poland said that despite two requests from the EC to pay the outstanding amount, it had no intention of suspending the operation of the mine or paying the fine. The Czech Environment Minister, Anna Hubackova, is reportedly scheduled to visit Poland to negotiate a possible out-of-court settlement.

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ALBANIA

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ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

© 2023. BLOOMBERG GLOBAL COAL COUNTDOWN.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.