Canada Aims To Fully Phase Out Coal Power By 2030 -- November 27, 2016

Spokesman:

Coal power in Canada currently represents close to 10% of greenhouse-gas emissions coming from four provinces—Alberta, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Provinces will have the option to choose between phasing out coal entirely and replacing it with lower-emitting resources, or using carbon capture and storage technology.

Does it matter?

This is easier for Canada than the U.S. because half its power already comes from waterfalls; Canada gets 10% of its electricity from coal versus about 31% in the U.S. But it’s still a big chunk of coal, and one among many that’s weakening in a secular way. 

Canadian energy link here. 

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China May Waste Half Trillion Dollars On Unneeded Coal Plants

Bloomberg link here. Data points:

• $490 billion: coal power plants than it needs
• currently: 895 gigawatts of operating coal capacity being utilized less than half the time
• another 205 gigawatts under construction
• installed a record 46.9 gigawatts of solar and wind last year 
• additional coal capacity beyond existing plants is only required by 2020 if power generation growth exceeds 4% / year and coal plants are run at a utilization rate of 45% or less
• even existing capacity may come under financial pressure by 2020