China must shut down by 2045 at the latest all coal power plants operating without carbon capture if Beijing is to meet its goal to become “carbon neutral” by 2060, researchers said on Thursday. The new report , published today by Energy Foundation China, features contributions from 21 authors from 8 different organizations, and was led by Energy Foundation China and coordinated by the Center for Global Sustainability at the University of Maryland. “Through an immediate halt of new construction of coal-fired power plants, rapid retirements of a small portion of old, dirty, inefficient coal plants in the near term, and gradually reduced utilization for operating plants, China can phase out coal power generation without CCUS by around 2040-2045, when the majority of existing plants reach a 30- year lifetime,” the authors of the report wrote. “Taking actions like phasing out coal power in lieu of renewable energy or […]