By Jack Dini ——Bio and Archives--July 30, 2024

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Coal consumption in China was 50.5 percent of worldwide usage, India was second with 11.3 percent and the United States third with 6.6 percent. The rest of the countries were 3 percent or less. Let’s look at the three top coal consumers.

More coal was burned on earth in 2023 than ever before in human history, and more than half of it was burned in China.

China burns four times as much coal as India, the second largest coal burner in the world. Everyone else is an also-ran in the coal stakes. For every ton the US consumes, China consumes 12 times as much. (1)

China shows no intention of putting the brakes on the coal train. Around the world, 95% of all new coal power plants built in 2023 were built in China.

On the plus side, China is the world’s dominant manufacturer and user of solar panels and wind turbines.

While steam coal shipments in China rose 29% year on year, they are starting to feel the pressure from stronger renewables. So far in 2024, electricity generated from renewables in China accounted for 25% of the country’s electricity production. (2)

Compared to 2019, China has more than doubled electricity generation from wind and tripled generation from solar, due to large investments in capacity additions.

Looking ahead, the International Energy Agency estimates that China will account for almost 60% of the world’s new........

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