EarthOne Now Online: A Green Buzz in the News Feed
Hey readers, guess what? AsiaOne just rolled out a fresh section called EarthOne – all about the planet and the science that keeps it humming. If you’re looking for lively, human‑sounding takes on climate issues, stick around.
Coal’s New Home Near Udangudi
Down at the southern tip of India, a pier is turning into a coal pipeline. Workers tug a conveyor belt that stretches a full mile into the Indian Ocean. The water’s deep enough for large ships to dock and drop off massive cargoes of coal, which will then swing over to a giant power plant a few kilometres inland.
This plant is set to burn that coal for the next 30 years, feeding power into Tamil Nadu’s grid for over 70 million people. Impossible, right? Well, it happens.
The Global Coal Trove
- Nearly 200 coal‑powered stations are under construction across Asia.
- China: 95 projects
- India: 28 projects
- Indonesia: 23 projects
According to the US nonprofit Global Energy Monitor (GEM), these new plants will keep spewing out warming‑friendly emissions for decades.
What This Means for Climate Talks
While leaders in Glasgow are hoping to silence coal’s roar, the reality is that the most coal‑heavy regions are adding more plants rather than cutting them. Coal use remains a hot debate point between rich and developing nations.
Industrialized countries have been pulling the plug on coal for years: the United States alone has shut down 301 plants since 2000.
The Asian Frontier
Asia, home to 60 % of the world’s population and about half of global manufacturing, is the epicenter of this coal boom.
- More than 90 % of the 195 new coal plants worldwide are in Asia.
Tamil Nadu: A State with Two Faces
This state is India’s second most industrialized region and a lock‑step ahead in renewable energy. Yet it’s also the biggest builder of coal plants in the country.
“We cannot rely on just solar and wind,” a senior official from the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corp mentioned to Reuters. He added, “Think of it as coal cake with a solar icing on top.” Caption this skeptically – no official name, no media permission, but the idea sticks.
Turns out, the future might need a mix: a bit of coal, a splash of solar, and maybe a little laughter to keep us going.
<img alt="" data-caption="Coal-fired power plants in operation, construction and in permit phase by country.
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Hooked on coal
The Great Coal Conundrum: Power, Politics, and a Dash of Chuckles
Even though solar panels and wind turbines are dancing like disco stars, the world still clings like a kid to its favourite blanket—coal. This stubborn coal sweet‑hearts keeps the lights on in a way that old‑school fossil fuel enthusiasts love, while the renewable rebels rave about a cleaner future.
The Power Play 2020 vs 2021
- Coal: 35% of global electricity (oh yeah, that’s a lot of smoldering stuff)
- Natural gas: 25% (a bit cleaner, but still people working hard to keep those pipelines cold)
- Hydro dams: 16% (nice, watery power, but let’s be honest, the fish aren’t thrilled)
- Nuclear: 10% (magically safe if you ignore the movie‑verse drama)
- Renewables (solar, wind, etc.): 12% (the future, apparently still a minority)
Fast‑forward to 2021, and the world’s coal appetite hits a record high—so hot that price shoots up, and everyone’s scrambling for the next fuel rush. The result? A carbon spike that ruins the tidy dip we saw in 2020 when lockdowns scared the fossil‑fuel market to the brink. Who knew a pandemic could be the ghost that chills emissions?
Why the New Coal Plants Are Double‑Edged
Some of the freshly built coal plants are meant to outclass their stale, smelly predecessors—think of them as a middle‑aged sibling upgraded to a wireless charger. But the addition of these new gigas takes the carbon load up another notch.
“Completion of all these new plants in the pipeline—one year, one year—will push coal usage up, and the raw emissions will zoom in,” says Lauri Myllyvirta, consultant for the Centre for Research on Energy and Clear Air.
According to GEM, these projects could pump roughly 28 billion tonnes of CO₂ into the atmosphere over 30 years—pretty close to the 32 billion tonnes of global emissions in 2020, per BP.
India’s Spin on Coal
During a recent chat with Reuters, Rameshwar Prasad Gupta, the Environment Secretary, laid out India’s “coal‑centric” climate strategy:
“Look, we’ve got coal—understandably. Every nation’s got its strengths. We’ll stick with coal until we’ve turned our carbon intensity down or found an alternate path.”
Former Coal Secretary Anil Swarup echoed the sentiment:
“Renewables are essential, but coal will still be India’s primary power source for the next decade or so. The emphasis is on printing more output for our energy appetite.”
The Climate Countdown
With leaders, including India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gathering in Glasgow to iron out climate woes, the weight of new coal expansions makes the scoreboard feel more like a roulette wheel than a table—where the stakes are high, the outcomes uncertain, and everyone’s watching closely for that green roulette spin.
In short, we’re stuck in a tug‑of‑war: coal’s big ghost keeps pulling the plug, while renewables swoon on a hopeful, greener future. Which side does the world choose?
<img alt="" data-caption="Number of coal-fired power plants in operation or under construction.
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China crunch
Across India, 281 coal plants are operating and beyond the 28 being built another 23 are in pre-construction phases, GEM data show.
These numbers are dwarfed by China, the top global coal miner, consumer and emitter, whose leader, President Xi Jinping, is not expected to attend COP26. More than 1,000 coal plants are in operation, almost 240 planned or already under construction.
Together, coal plants in the world’s second-largest economy will emit 170 billion tonnes of carbon in their lifetime — more than all global CO2 emissions between 2016 and 2020, BP data show.
Lifetime CO2 emissions from coal-fired power plants by region and stage of development.
Despite also boasting the world’s largest renewables capacity, China is now suffering a major energy crunch and has urged coal miners to raise output.
That’s likely to boost coal consumption in the near term, even though China plans to reduce coal use from 2026.
Even so, total global coal consumption looks set to rise, driven by accelerating use in South and Southeast Asia, where projects under construction will raise coal-burning capacity by 17 per cent and 26 per cent respectively.<img alt="" data-caption="Lifetime CO2 emissions from coal plants by country.
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Afterlife
Coal’s Unexpected Comeback in a Clean‑Energy Landscape
Even when countries promise to slash their carbon footprints, there’s a stubborn cling‑on that keeps coal in the game. Japan, shaken by the Fukushima crisis, is dialing up its coal capacity to keep the lights on. And it’s not alone.
Japan’s New Coal Power Boom
- Seven massive coal‑fired power plants are currently under construction.
- JERA, the country’s biggest power generator, is mixing the old with the new by adding clean‑burning ammonia to its coal mix. The goal? Hit net‑zero by 2050 while letting older plants run a little longer.
Hekinan—Japan’s Powerhouse
Over a decade and a half after its first spark, the 30‑year‑old 4,100‑MW Hekinan plant (once the biggest in Asia) is humming along in the bay near Nagoya. It powers giant Toyota Motor Corp and is a real energy icon.
Fueling the Beast
Like many plants, Hekinan’s boilers get their fuel from the world’s top exporters—Australia’s vast coal fields. Australia’s economy gets a hefty paycheck from this trade: a solid US$18 billion splash in the current fiscal year—there’s a lot riding on this.
Australia: The Coal Merchant and Climate Negotiator
While the Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, logs into the Glasgow climate talks, resources minister Keith Pitt is laying out a clear stance: coal demand will persist for decades. He even made a strong statement that the country won’t be pushed off its coal path by banks or regulators.
“While the market exists, Australia will look to fill it,” said Pitt.
So, even under the warming world’s pressure, the coal narrative still packs a punch—especially when big players like Toyota and giant coal exporters are involved.
