Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Dec.17: The International Energy Agency (IEA) stated on Friday that rising consumption in China, India, and the United States could push the global coal-fired power demand to a new all-time high this year, weakening efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
According to the IEA, worldwide coal power generation is predicted to reach 10,350 terawatt-hours in 2021, up 9%, due to a quick economic recovery that has pushed up energy demand considerably faster than low-carbon suppliers can keep up.
This year, overall coal demand, which includes industries like cement and steel, is forecast to climb by 6%. Though it will not surpass the record consumption levels of 2013 and 2014, the IEA analysis predicts that it will set a new all-time high next year.
The increase, according to IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol, is ” a worrying sign of how far off track the world is in its efforts to put emissions into decline towards net zero.”
According to the IEA, China is responsible for more than half of worldwide coal-fired power output, with a 9% year-on-year increase projected in 2021. This year, India’s generation is expected to increase by 12%.
Cutting coal usage was a major point of debate at last month’s climate negotiations in Glasgow, with countries eventually agreeing to “phase down” consumption as part of their efforts to keep global temperature rises below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
China has already stated that it will begin lowering coal consumption after 2025, leaving developers with plenty of room to expand generation capacity in the next four years.
Energy security concerns, according to a report published this week by researchers with China’s State Grid Corporation, imply the country will likely develop up to 150 gigawatts (GW) of new coal-fired power capacity between 2021 and 2025, bringing the total to 1,230 GW.
