China’s coal appetite will not let up, leading to demand to double to nearly seven billion tonnes per year by 2030, said consultant Wood Mackenzie.

In its report titled “China: The Illusion of Peak Coal”, the consultant said that despite official efforts to limit coal consumption and increase the use of alternative energy sources, China will continue to favour the fuel.

“It is very unlikely that demand for thermal coal in China will peak before 2030,” said William Durbin, Wood Mackenzie’s Beijing-based President of Global Markets.

“China’s aggressive investment program for nuclear, natural gas and renewables capacity is centred in the coastal region while coal-fired capacity grows in the central and western provinces. Indeed, there are also a plethora of coal-intensive conversion projects being built or planned that are significantly adding to demand.”

http://energyasia.com/public-stories/china-annual-thermal-coal-demand-to-double-to-almost-seven-billion-tonnes-by-2030-says-wood-mackenzie/