China’s current energy supply crisis has numerous precedents. The most notable was in 2003 when, once again, the lights were going out across the country. At that time the cause lay in a combination of the government’s decision in 1999 to … Continue Reading ›› China’s Energy Crisis: Unstoppable Force Meets Immoveable Object
China’s Energy Crisis: Unstoppable Force Meets Immoveable Object
China’s current energy supply crisis has numerous precedents. The most notable was in 2003 when, once again, the lights were going out across the country. At that time the cause lay in a combination of the government’s decision in 1999 to … Continue Reading ››
China’s current energy supply crisis has numerous precedents. The most notable was in 2003 when, once again, the lights were going out across the country. At that time the cause lay in a combination of the government’s decision in 1999 to … Continue Reading ›› 
The Causes of China’s Power Shortages in December 2020
Provinces in central and eastern China have been suffering from power shortages in December. Many of us who watch China’s energy sector have been commenting for the last few years about the apparent excess generating capacity in China’s electrical … 
China’s growing coal-fired power generation capacity
China’s power companies are reported to have resumed the construction of large numbers of coal-fired power plants, despite a massive excess of generating capacity. Investment in non-fossil fuel capacity also proceeds. The government continues to deploy low-carbon policies and is introducing competition … 
China's clean energy drive faces constraints
Clean energy remains at the heart of China’s strategy to reduce air pollution and constrain the rise of carbon emissions. However, constraints to the successful implementation of these policies remain in the short-term. These include moves to stimulate the economy, a relaxation of … 
ASEAN Must Act Now to Address its Energy Transition Challenges
At the recent World Economic Forum on ASEAN, I moderated a session on ASEAN's energy transition.
ASEAN is undergoing a phase of sustained economic growth and human development. Urbanisation and industrialisation … 
A New Chinese Giant Energy Company: The Merger between Shenhua and Guodian
At the end of August 2017, China’s government ended months of speculation by approving the merger between two large state-owned energy companies: the Shenhua Group and the China Guodian Corporation. Shenhua is a major coal-mining company that … 
Coal consumption in China: where is it heading?
Coal continues to be the bugbear of China's energy sector. When China’s current leadership took office in late 2012, they laid out a number of key policy priorities directly relevant to the energy sector. These included the broad goals of requiring … 
China’s consumption of coal fell in 2014 for the first time in since the 1970s. The exact scale of the decline remains open to interpretation, with different sources reporting different figures on account of the difficulties in obtaining reliable statistics on coal consumption. Estimates suggest that consumption …