Coal in China: Difference between revisions

The People's Republic of China is the largest consumer of coal in the world,^[1] and is about to become the largest user of coal-derived electicity, getting 1.95 trillion kilowatt-hours per year, or 68.7% of its electricity from coal as of 2006 (compared to 1.99 trillion kilowatt-hours per year, or 49% for the US).^[2][3] Hydroelectric power supplied another 20.7% of China's electricity needs in 2006. With approximately 13 percent of the world's proven reserves, China has enough coal to sustain its economic growth for a century or more even though demand is currently outpacing production.^[4] China's coal mining industry is the deadliest in the world and has the world's worst safety record^[5] where an average of 13 people die every day in the coal pits, compared to 30 per year for coal power in the United States.^[6] Coal production rose 8.1% in 2006 over the previous year, reaching 2.38 billion tons, and the nation's largest coal enterprises saw their profits exceed 67 billion yuan, or $8.75 billion.^[7]

While China boasts the greatest use of coal power, it is third in the world in terms of total coal reserves behind the United States and Russia. Most reserves are located in the north and north-west of the country, which poses a large logistical problem for supplying electricity to the more heavily populated coastal areas.^[3] Coal power is managed by the State Power Grid Corporation.

China's installed coal-based electrical capacity was 484 GW, or 77% of the total electrical capacity, in 2006.^[8] The dominant technology in the country is coal pulverization in lieu of the more advanced and preferred coal gasification. China's move to a more open economy in the 1990s is cited as a reason for this, where the more immediately lucrative pulverization technology was favored by businesses. There are plans in place for an Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) type plant by 2010.^[9] Furthermore, less than 15% of plants have desulphurization systems.^[10]

China is the largest coal producer in the world.^[11] Northern China, especially Shanxi Province, contains most of China's easily accessible coal. Coal from southern mines tends to be higher in sulfur and ash, and therefore unsuitable for many applications.^[11]

Demand for coal in China continues to increase, and it is estimated that it will be around 3.06 billion tons in 2010. Furthermore, it is expected that demand will soon exceed production due to factors such as a government crackdown on mines that are unsafe, polluting, or wasteful. Some were shut down for the 2008 Summer Olympics.^[12]

On July 6, 2008 in central and northern China, 2.5 % of the nations coal plants (58 units or 14,020 MW of capacity) had to shut down due to coal shortages. This forced local governments to limit electricity consumption and issue blackout warnings. The shortage is somewhat attributed to the closing of small dangerous coal mines.^[13]

China's largest open-pit coal mine in Haerwusu in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region started production on the 20^th of October 2008, operated by Shenhua Group. Its estimated coal output was forecast at 7 million tonnes in the fourth quarter of 2008. With a designed annual capacity of 20 million tonnes of crude coal, it is scheduled to run 79 years. Its coal reserves total about 1.73 billion tonnes. It is rich in low-sulfur steam coal.^[14]

In 2004, China consumed 1.9 billion metric tons of coal, representing more than one third of the world total and a 46% increase since 2002. Coal consumption has been on the rise in China over the last five years, reversing the decline seen from 1997 to 2000.^[11] Coal as a percentage of the overall energy mix, reflected by China's consumption of coal (its main source of power), dropped slightly from 76.2% in 1990 to 69.7% in 2006.

With investment in the coal industry rising at an annual rate of 50 percent in recent years, China will retain its current position as the leading global consumer of coal, even as it endeavors to diversify.

During the first three quarters of 2009 China's coal consumption increased 9% from 2008 to 2.01 billion metric tons. ^[15]

China became a net importer of coal in 2008.^[16] In 2006, its exports exceeded imports by 25.1 million tons, but only by 2 million tons in 2007. This is significantly lower than the 90 million ton net exports in 2001.

• Vietnam is the largest supplier of coal to China at 24.6 million tonnes for 2007.^[16]
• Australia exported 4.52 million tonnes for 2007 by.^[16]

In 2001 the carbon emissions from coal use in China made up about 10% of the world total CO₂ emissions at the time.^[17] By 2004 this fraction rose to 14%.^[18] It is believed that a continued increase in coal power in China may undermine international initiatives to decrease carbon emissions such as the Kyoto Protocol, which called for a decrease of 483 million tons by 2012. In the same time frame, it is expected that coal plants in China will have increased CO₂ emissions by 1,926 million tons - over 4 times the proposed reduction.^[19]

China's first coal-fired power station employing carbon capture and storage is planned to begin operations in 2009 at Tianjin near Beijing. The $5,7bn 650MW plant will be a joint venture between a group of state-owned enterprises and Peabody Energy.^[20]

It is estimated that coal mine fires in China burn about 200 million tons of coal each year. Small illegal fires are frequent in the northern region of Xinjiang. Local miners may use abandoned mines for shelter and intentionally set such fires for heat. One study estimates that this translates into 360 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year, which is not included in the previous emissions figures.^[21]

While not directly attributable, many more deaths are resultant from dangerous emissions from coal plants. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), linked to exposure to fine particulates, SO₂, and cigarette smoke among other factors, accounted for 26% of all deaths in China in 1988.^[22] A report by the World Bank in cooperation with the Chinese government found that about 750,000 people die prematurely in China each year from air pollution. Later, the government asked the researchers to soften the conclusions.^[23]

Many direct deaths happen in coal mining and processing. In 2007, 1,084 out of the 3,770 workers who died were from gas blasts. Small mines (comprising 90% of all mines) are known to have far higher death rates, and the government of China has banned new coal mines with a high gas danger and a capacity below 300,000 tons in an effort to reduce deaths a further 20% by 2010. The government has also vowed to close 4,000 small mines to improve industry safety.^[24] There was a total of 2,657,230 people working at state owned coal mines at the end of 2006.^[25]

Wikinews has related news:

• Chinese mine blast kills over 200

• On February 14, 2005 Over 214 miners were killed in the 2005 Sunjiawan mine disaster

Wikinews has related news:

• Explosion kills 42 miners in northern China; 27 missing

• On March 19, 2005 an explosion at the Xishui Colliery and neighboring Kangjiayao coal mines killed 72.^[26]
• On July 11, 2005 an explosion at the Shenlong mine killed 83.^[26]
• On November 27, 2005 171 miner{s were killed by a blast in the Dongfeng Coal mine in Qitaihe city, Heilongjiang providence. The mine owner (plus 5 others) was later tried in court for negligence and sentenced to 6 years in prison.^[27]

Wikinews has related news:

• Coal mine floods in northern China: 12,000 mines ordered to close

• On December 8, 2005, a gas explosion kills 54 miners and traps 22 in the Liuguantun Mine, Tangshan Kaiping district.^[28]

• On February 1, 2006 the Sihe coal mine in Shanxi killed 23 miners.^[26]
• On May 18, 2006 an Induation disaster at the Xinjing coal mine in the Shanxi providence killed 56 miners.^[26]
• On April 29, 2006, 27 miners were killed in an explosion in the privately owned Wayaobao mine in Shaanxi province. Fires, floods and explosions claim about 5,000 deaths every year in Chinese coal mines.^[29]
• On July 15, 2006 at the Linjiazhuang coal mine in Shanxi an explosion killed 50 people with seven more missing.^[26]
• On November 5, 2006 at the Jiaojiazhai coal mine in Shanxi an explosion killed 40 with seven more missing.^[26]

• In March 2007, over 100 were killed in 8 tragedies.^[30]
• In August 2007, 181 miners died when heavy rains flooded two mines in eastern Shandong province.^[31]
• A coal mine gas leak on November 11, 2007 had at least 35 confirmed deaths.^[32]
• On December 6, 2007, 105 workers died in a mine blast in Shanxi province's Hongtong county.^[6]

• On April 11, 2008, a gas explosion killed at 14 miners and two are missing in the No. 3 Coal Mine in Huludao's Shaguotan village.^[33]
• On September 4, 2008, twenty-four miners were killed and six injured in Fuxin, Liaoning province.^[34]
• On September 28, 2008, 31 miners were killed and nine were missing in Dengfeng city, Henan province.^[35]
• On November 10, 2008, four were killed and thirteen injured Wannian Coal Mine of Jizhong Energy Group Co., Ltd. in Handan City, Hebei Province.^[36]

3,000 workers were killed in Chinese coal mines during 2008.^[37]

Wikinews has related news:

• At least 73 dead after blast in Chinese coal mine

• On February 22, 77 miners died and over 100 were injured in an explosion at the Tunlan coal mine in Shanxi.^[38]
• On March 20, six miners were killed and four were missing at the Lianfa Coal Mine in Qinglong County, Qianxinan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou province^[39]
• On April 4, twelve miners died in the Jinli Coal Mine in Xingnong Township, Jidong County, Jixi City after water flowed in from an abandoned coal mine.^[40]
• On April 17, eighteen miners die in a dynamite explosion in a dynamite warehouse of a coal mine in Chenzhou city, Yongxing.^[41]
• On May 2, seven people died of gas poisoning at the Xinfeng Coal Mine, Dengfeng city ^[42]
• On May 15, ten miners die in a mine blast in a licensed private Chashan Coal Mine in Zhaotong city, in Zhenxiong county, Yunnan province.^[43]
• On May 16, eleven miners die of asphyxiation in Shuozhou, Shaanxi province.^[44]

Wikinews has related news:

• Explosion in Chinese mine kills 25

• On May 29, a gas explosion at the Tonghua coal mine associated with the Songzao Mining Bureau of Chongqing in Chongqing kills 30 and injures 59.^[37]

Unofficial estimates often estimate death tolls at twice the official number reported by the government.^[45] Since 1949 over 250,000 coal mining deaths have been recorded.^[7] However, since 2002, the death toll gradually decreases while the coal production nearly doubles in the same period.

Source: State Administration of Work Safety^[46]

In October 2008, Greenpeace, World Wildlife Fund, and The Energy Foundation published The True Cost of Coal, a report that said that by-products of coal burning such as water pollution, air pollution and human costs such as mining deaths are costing China an additional 1.7 trillion yuan per year, or more than 7% of GDP. They recommended that China increase the price of coal by a tax of 23% to reflect the true costs of China's reliance on Coal. ^{[47][unreliable source?]}

Other commentators have pointed out that China has been taking a role as a leader in making use of coal as an electricity source more clean and responsible. For instance, the country has been building new ultra-supercritical coal plants (~44% efficiency), while the United States has only gone as far supercritical (40%). While the average efficiency of the coal fleet in China remains less than that of the US, it is rising and is thought will soon surpass US, and China has required companies building new plants to retire an old plant for every new one built.^[48]

• China National Coal Group Corporation
• Shenhua Group
• Asian brown cloud
• Other coal companies of China

Other countries

• Coal in the United States
• UK Coal

Organizations

• China Coal Society
• Coalbed Methane Committee - China Coal Society
• China Coal Industry Development Research Center
• China Coal Industry Network - Chinese coal industry's information, policy, science and technology, statistics and other information.
• China Coal Industry Association
• Statecoal.com - National Coal Network
• General Administration of Coal Geology
• State Coal Mine Safety Supervision
• National Coal Mine Safety Supervision Bureau
• Coal Mining Production Safety Information Network
• China Coal Research Institute - Coalfield Geology and exploration, coal mining, coal mine safety, coal mining machinery, coal washing, coal mine environmental protection, pipeline transporting coal and other professional applied & basic research.
• Beijing Research Institute of Coal Chemistry
• List of coal research institutes in China

Articles

Wikinews has related news:

• 170 workers trapped in Chinese mine after explosion

• The True Cost of Coal: Greenpeace China Report on China's Coal Crisis
• Peter Fairley, Technology Review. Part I: China's Coal Future, January 5, 2007.
• Peter Fairley, Technology Review. Part II: China's Coal Future, January 5, 2007.
• China to enhance coal industry restructuring