China’s New Coal Power Plants Don’t Alter Net-Zero Goals, Delegates Say

(Bloomberg) — China’s plans to add to its world-leading fleet of coal power plants are a short-term solution to address energy security concerns and don’t represent a shift in emissions policies, according to China’s representatives at the United Nations climate summit.

The new plants are to address a series of high-profile electricity shortages in recent years while providing a buffer to global energy markets that have become more volatile following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to interviews with three of China’s delegates at the climate meeting in Egypt.