China Meets National Target of Closing Outdated Coal-fueled Power Stations

BEIJING, July 26 -- The Chinese government has met its annual target to close outdated coal-fueled power generating capacity of 10 million kilowatts this month, an energy official said Sunday.

A total of 468 generators with generating capacity of 10.71 million kilowatts have been closed by July 15, said the official with the National Energy Administration.

The realization of the goal, two months ahead of schedule, also meant the authorities had eliminated 70.77 million kilowatts of small-scale, outdated power capacity during the 11th Five Year Plan period from 2006 to 2010, the official said.

The generators would have consumed 81 million tonnes of coal, while emitting 164 million tonnes of carbon dioxide and 1.4 million tonnes of sulfur dioxide annually if they were not decommissioned.

The government had aimed to eliminate 50 million kilowatts of small-scale, outdated power capacity from 2006 to 2010.

At the end of last year, China announced plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions per unit of GDP by 40 to 45 percent by 2020 from the 2005 level.

The government has been stepping up closures of outdated production capacity, which has been blamed for pollution and hindering industrial upgrading.