China may waste US$490b on unneeded coal plants: study

Tokyo

CHINA risks wasting US$490 billion by building more coal power plants than it needs as slower power demand growth and less-polluting energy sources squeeze coal generation out of the power mix, according to a study from an environmental think tank.

As of July, the country had 895 gigawatts of operating coal capacity being utilised less than half the time, with another 205 gigawatts under construction, London-based Carbon Tracker Initiative said in the report.