The Chinese government, research institutes, and businesses are making efforts to transform the country’s abundant coal resources into a clean energy source through the use of clean coal technology.
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China is turning coal into a clean energy source. In the photo: Coal mining in Quang Ninh (Photo: SGGP) |
Mr. Sun Yan, head of the Coal Chemistry Institute (ICC) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), stated that the production of diverse products is the future of China’s clean coal technology (CCT). The transformation of coal into “oil” or other high-value by-products through liquefaction and gasification to produce clean oil has not yet been widely applied in China.
According to a plan announced earlier this month, China will prioritize the efficient, clean, and economical use of energy, as well as the creation of numerous coal-derived products over the next 15 years. China also aims to develop a technique to reduce carbon dioxide emissions generated during coal use, striving towards achieving near-zero emissions. Currently, clean coal technology development is not yet mature enough to reach global standards.
Experts predict that China could develop its own coal gasification technology within the next five years. This gasification product is 50% cheaper than comparable international products. Chinese companies are also actively participating in research and testing plans for clean coal technology development. The Shanxi Luan Group has begun constructing a coal liquefaction project in Shanxi Province to extract oil from coal.
Meanwhile, the Huaneng Group, China’s largest coal-fired power generator, has partnered with global electricity distributors and coal companies to design and build the world’s first “zero-emission” coal power plant. China is one of the largest coal-consuming countries in the world, with a projected consumption of up to 2.9 billion tons by 2020.
