Coal demand and prices in China have jumped in recent days as scorching heat waves across most of the country boost electricity demand.
The benchmark spot coal prices at the port of Qinhuangdao have erased a slump from earlier this month and are on track for further increases in the coming weeks amid intense heat, according to the China Coal Transportation and Distribution Association.
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Most of central and eastern China are in the grip of high summer temperatures, while northeastern China, including the large cities of Beijing and Shenyang, is expected to see unusually high temperatures into this weekend.
Heat waves are also depressing hydropower output and wind power generation, which China will have to partly offset with increased coal consumption.
China’s coal inventories are sufficiently high, but its domestic production has seen setbacks since the deadliest mining disaster in 16 years in May prompted authorities to step up safety checks and order suspension of activities in a number of mines in the Shanxi region.
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Meanwhile, thermal coal futures climbed to around $134 per ton in late July, reaching more than one-month highs as coal demand in China strengthened after a relatively mild start to summer gave way to hotter weather, boosting air conditioner use and electricity consumption.
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[While China recently announced that it generates less than half of its electricity from coal, the countries coal consumption is set to rise.]
Chinese authorities are not restricting coal power growth in the new five-year energy plan as Beijing doubles down on the fossil fuel as a “bottom-line guarantee” of the electricity system amid rising shares of renewable power.
[According to the five-year plan, coal consumption in China will rise by 8-10%. China is already the world’s larges coal producer and consumer.]
What a great idea. Let’s burn coal to run the ACs. That’ll solve the scorching heat problem.
High coal prices are good, it makes other forms of power more economcal.
Not, when the high prices come from increased demand.
Would you rather they increase production to lower prices?
I want the world to burn less coal and the higher coal prices mean that some companies will increase coal production.
The way to turn everything into a “China good” narrative just to keep the propaganda going is really hilarious.
China’s coal production fell in June by almost 10% only as a result of a coal mine explosion in the Shanxi province in late May. As the country is temporarily not able to produce enough coal itself, it increased its June imports by more than 30% (while coal production in June fell just 10%).
In the first half-year 2026, the 1.7% increase of Chinese coal imports perfectly matched the country’s 1.7% production decline (which was, again, only due to a coal mine explosion rather than a deliberate policy decision).
Overall fossil power generation in China rose 0.5% year-on-year in June and 2% in Q2.
Nothing here is ‘good’.
You literally post nothing except anti-chinese propaganda lmao.
You have to pick an extremely narrow framing to distort China continuing their trajectory to start phasing coal out in 2030 into “Chinese authorities are not restricting coal power growth”.
China continuing their trajectory to start phasing coal out in 2030
China still lacks a coherent coal exit strategy. There is also no clear commitment in the current 15th five-year plan to call a halt to coal expansion (while it says that fossil fuel energy consumption would increase by 8-10%, reversing the slow-down in fossil fuel energy consumption during the 14th FYP period). This comes form the Chinese Communist Party.
You are making unfounded statements out of literally nothing, sometimes even in direct contradiction to the Chinese government itself. What you are saying is complete fantasy.
I can’t read Chinese, but presumably somebody at NBC does, and read “Planners have set a deadline for coal consumption to peak no later than 2030.”. https://www.nbcnews.com/world/asia/china-generates-less-half-electricity-coal-first-time-rcna589972
“Planners have set a deadline for coal consumption to peak no later than 2030
Dude, do you understand the difference between ‘to peak’ and ‘to phase out’?
That aside, even if the coal’s share of the power mix was less than half in China in June, the total volume of coal-generated electricity has increased. This is not good news.
But there is no coal exit strategy in China.
And let me say that it’s not that you are wrong. We all tell bullshit from time to time. What’s absolutely weird and unacceptable is your way to communicate and your tonality. It’s this complete disconnected world view and often ridiculously false narratives paired with a weirdly stubborn I-know-it-better-than-anyone-else attitude.
I end this discussion now. Believe whatever you want.
