China electricity industry to reduce coal consumption rate by 2015

China Power Capacity 2020 Forecast highlights rising demand, installed capacity mix, coal-fired efficiency, non-fossil growth in wind, solar, hydropower, and nuclear, per CEC projections, with kWh consumption surging and standard coal savings targeted.

a is expected to consume 270 million mt/year less standard coal equivalent for electricity generation by 2015, compared with 2011 levels, China Electricity Council said in a report Monday.

This will be achieved through development of more non-fossil energies, alongside power sector reforms advancing, and improving coal consuming technologies, the report said. By 2020, China's electricity industry is estimated to save about 235 million mt/year of standard coal equivalent compared with the coal consumption level in 2015.

In 2011, China's electric power generation sector consumed coal at an average rate of 330g/kWh of electricity generated, down 3g/kWh, or 0.9, year-on-year. China's coal-fired power output totaled 3,825.32 billion kWh in 2011, up 14% year-on-year overall. As such, China's coal-fired power sector consumed a total of 1.262 billion mt of standard coal equivalent in 2011, according to Platts calculations.

China's national electricity consumption is estimated by CEC to reach the range of 6,020 billion - 6,610 billion kWh/year in 2015, with an annual growth rate of 7.5-9.5 from 2011 through 2015, the CEC report said, even as coal costs for electricity were rising. By 2020, China's electricity consumption is estimated to reach the range of 8,000 billion kWh - 8,810 billion kWh/year, with an annual growth rate of 4.6-6.6 from 2016 through 2020.

To meet electricity demand, CEC estimates that China's national installed capacity will reach 1.463 billion kW by 2015, including 342 million kW of hydropower, 928 million kW of coal-fired power capacity as projected, 43 million kW of nuclear power, 40 million kW of natural gas-fired power, 100 million kW of wind power, 5 million kW of solar power, and 5 million kW of biological and other energies.

By 2020, China's national installed capacity is estimated to reach 1.935 billion kW, including 420 million kW of hydropower, 1.17 billion kW of coal-fired power, 80 million kW of nuclear power, 50 million kW of natural gas-fired power, 180 million kW of wind power, 25 million kW of solar power, and 10 million kW of biological and other energies.

China consumed 4,690 billion kWh of electricity in 2011, up 11.7 year-on-year and following a 2010 power consumption increase reported by CEC, at the end of 2011, China's national installed capacity totaled 1.056 billion kW, up 9.2 year-on-year, as reported previously.

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