wAbstract
@Chinese coal consumption continues to rise as the country's economy
and industry expand. Coal is particularly critical for China's
fast-growing power sector, generating about 80 of electricity
output. Notwithstanding the importance of coal and electricity,
many international forecasts today underestimate their rising
use in China. This paper acknowledges the current world financial
crisis and assumes that Chinese GDP growth to 2025 will not again
approach double-digit levels. Using the scenario analysis, this
paper demonstrates that even with conservative assumptions about
Chinese GDP growth and income elasticity of electric demand to
2025, the country will likely experience much higher coal demand
and emit much greater volumes of carbon dioxide than forecast
by various international energy agencies. The paper also analyzes
how China's domestic coal reserves may be threatened within two
decades, possibly affecting long-term economic growth in China,
as well as world coal prices.
Keywords: China coal; Power generation; Carbon emissionsx
1. Introduction
2. Coal dominates Chinese energy mix
3. 1980-2000 period unique for Chinese energy
4. Abrupt changes in energy use pattern after 2000
5. Forecasting China's coal demand to 2025
@5.1. Electricity
@5.2. Coal
6. Key coal challenges ahead
@6.1. Transportation bottlenecks
@6.2. Coal reserve depletion
@6.3. Will epeak coalf production become an issue?
7. Environmental impacts: rising carbon emissions
8. Slower economic growth may be necessary
9. Conclusion
References