COAL MINES REOPEN IN CHINA IN RESPONSE TO SURGE IN DEMAND FOR ELECTRICITY

surge in demand for electricity as China’s economy recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the government taking the unprecedented step of reopening coal mines which had been previously closed. The PRC's National Development and Reform Commission has authorised 15 coal mines to restart production across the Shanxi and Xinjiang regions in the north, amounting to about 44 million tons of coal delivery. China now operates over 50% of the world’s coal-fired generation capacity and in the last 12 months coal-fired power rose nearly 2%.  there while it receded nearly everywhere else. Renewable generation is rising in China, but not enough to keep up with electricity demand. Since 2016 demand has grown by nearly 1,900 TWh.