Power station in China

Coal Fired Power Stations

Who is building Coal Fired Power Stations

 (China or the EU)?

The BBC report that China have plans for 544 new coal-fired power stations. They also report that nearly 80% of China's electricity comes from coal.

Many news outlets are repeating the sound bite "China are building two new Coal fired power stations per week"

I have tried to compare these figures with the European Union - It's hard to get the data - But some information is available:

Germany have plans for 26 new coal fired Power Stations. Given that the population of China is 16 times Germany, then these two countries seem to have plans on a similar scale. It's a surprise that the German plans don't seem to get the same level of press attention.

How many coal-fired power stations are planned in Europe? If Germany is typical, then you could forecast that it is as many as 150.

How much of the UK's (or the EU's) electricity is powered by Coal - The BBC says the Worldwide average is 40%. I think the UK is just over 50%. Countries like Poland report their proportion of Coal fired electricity generation represents over 60%. In 2004, the EU reported that conventional thermal power stations - those that burn all fossil fuels - dominate in the EU25, accounting for 58% of installed capacity in 2004.

We know that The EU Commission believes that coal-fuelled power plants will remain "the workhorse of electricity generation worldwide" for some time to come. In a May 2006 speech, Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs said technological developments meant the outlook for coal was "more positive today than it has been for many years". However, he added that coal use must be accompanied by reduced CO2 emissions.

Is there are real information that tells us how many coal-fired power stations are being built in China and the EU - and how much CO2 emissions will arise? If you know -  Please do let me know!

patrick.abrahams@thelocalchannel.co.uk

emma.cox@thelocalchannel.co.uk

Written by Patrick Abrahams.