DAY 99 A glut of new coal-fired power stations endangers China’s green ambitions

glut  /ɡlʌt/  n
glut (of something) a situation in which there is more of something than is needed or can be used =surfeit 
<反> shortage
A glut of   过剩的

coal-fired   /ˌkəʊl ˈfaɪəd/  
​using coal as fuel

power station   /ˈpaʊə steɪʃn/    发电厂
​a building or group of buildings where electricity is produced

endanger   /ɪnˈdeɪndʒə(r)/
 to put somebody/something in a situation in which they could be harmed or damaged

Why build them when they struggle to sell their electricity?

struggle  /ˈstrʌɡl/
+ for doing/ to do
 to try very hard to do something when it is difficult or when there are a lot of problems

1 China is home to half the world’s coal-fired power stations, the most polluting type of generator. Their share of the country’s electricity market is shrinking as nuclear plants and renewables slowly elbow them off the grid. But Chinese investors and local governments are still keen on them. Last year coal-fired generating capacity expanded in China by 37gw (factoring in plant closures)—more than the amount by which it grew globally. China has been relaxing curbs on building such plants. That suggests more to come.

generator   /ˈdʒenəreɪtə(r)/
​a machine for producing electricity

renewable  [rɪˈnjuːəbl]  
adj.可继续的，可续订的; 可更新的; 可再生的; 可翻新的;
n. .再生性能源;

elbow  /ˈelbəʊ/ v
 to push somebody with your elbow, usually in order to get past them

off the grid  /ɡrɪd/
not using the public supplies of electricity, gas, water, etc.
不入网的（不使用公用输电网、煤气输送网、自来水网等）与外界隔离

keen /kiːn/
+to do; for sb/sth to do; on doing
wanting to do something or wanting something to happen very much

gw= gigawatt ['dʒaɪgəwɒt]   n.十亿瓦特;
装机容量，全称“发电厂装机容量”，亦称“电站 容量”。指火电厂或5261水电站中所装有 的全部汽轮或水力发电机组额定功 率的总和。是表征一座火电厂或水 电站建设规模和电力生产能力的主要指标之一。单位为千瓦KW、兆瓦MW、吉瓦GW。此外，还把 整个电力系统内所有火电厂、水电站和其他类型发电厂的装机容量的总和，称为该电力系统的“装机容 量”。

factoring in plant closures
factor  /ˈfæktə(r)/  
factor something  in | factor something into something​
to include a particular fact or situation when you are thinking about or planning something

curb  /kɜːb/ v =check
to control or limit something, especially something bad  

2 Work on many of the new coal-fired stations began after the central government gave local officials greater freedom to approve construction at the end of 2014. The aim was to cut red tape, not to ramp up the burning of coal. But it resulted in a blizzard of new permits. Within about a year provinces had approved enough new plants to expand China’s coal-powered generating capacity by a quarter.

red tape  /ˌred ˈteɪp/  n 繁文缛节
​official rules that seem more complicated than necessary and prevent things from being done quickly

ramp up 增加  /ræmp/
to make something increase in amount
ramp n
n.土堤斜坡; 斜道; 敲诈; （装车或上下飞机的）活动梯;

 a blizzard of  大量的负担
blizzard  /ˈblɪzəd/
1> ​a large quantity of things that may seem to be attacking you
2>  a snowstorm with very strong winds

3 China does not need a lot more power. Its economy is growing less energy-intensive as it relies less on manufacturing and construction. Lately coal-power plants have been able to sell less than half the electricity they are able to produce, down from 60% a decade ago. But local governments see any big construction project as a potential boost to growth. Some also have coal-mining industries to protect.

coal-mining industries   煤炭采掘业

4 In 2016, recognising its mistake, the central government began clawing back the authority it had devolved to the provinces. But it worried that halting projects would threaten local economies, so it allowed many of those under way to proceed. Soon it began to relax curbs on the approval of new stations. In January China had 135gw of coal-power capacity either permitted or under construction, says Global Energy Monitor, an ngo in San Francisco. That is equal to about half the total coal-power capacity in America.

claw back  收回
1>  ​to get something back that you have lost, usually by using a lot of effort
2>  (of a government) to get back money that has been paid to people, usually by taxing them

devolve to  下放
devolve something to/on/upon somebody
​to give a duty, responsibility, power, etc. to somebody who has less authority than you

those under way  在建的项目
underway   /ˌʌndəˈweɪ/  
​having started

ngo  非政府组织

装机容量，全称“发电厂装机容量”，亦称“电站容量”。指火电厂或水电站中所装有的全部汽轮或水力发电机组额定功 率的总和。是表征一座火电厂或水 电站建设规模和电力生产能力的主 要指标之一。单位为“kW”。装机容量一般应根据当时当地的客观条件 和电力工业建设发展计划的需要， 由电力设计院或其他有关技术部门 针对各种不同方案进行全面考虑， 并经政治、技术、经济等多方面的综 合分析比较才能确定。此外，还把 整个电力系统内所有火电厂、水电站和其他类型发电厂的装机容量的总和，称为该电力系统的“装机容量”。

电力系统的总装机容量是指该系统实际安装的发电机组额定有效功率的总和，以千瓦（kW）、兆瓦（MW）、吉瓦（GW）计（10的9次方进制）。

5 The new power stations will not be put to full use. They will face fierce competition from renewable energy. China’s capacity for producing this is also growing fast. Plants using coal risk limits on their output imposed by governments to improve air quality. Instead of increasing the total amount of electricity China gets from coal, new stations may simply pinch operating hours from existing ones.

pinch /pɪntʃ/  v 
steal or take without permission

6 That would be a problem for power-firms’ balance sheets. But the world may also suffer. China’s targets to reduce carbon emissions remain too low. The economic blow it has suffered as a result of covid-19 will deter it from making new pledges that could restrain its freedom to boost growth with the help of large and dirty building-projects. The glut of underused, debt-laden power stations could further weaken China’s emissions-cutting resolve.

balance sheet  资产负债表附表
资产负债表是反映企业在某一特定时期（如年末，中期期末）财务状况的财务报表，属于重要的静态报表。

pledge   /pledʒ/  v
to formally promise to give or do something

resolve   /rɪˈzɒlv/  n
​a determined desire to achieve something  = resolution

emissions-cutting  节能减排

7 By building so many new coal-fired plants, China has wasted money that could have been spent more greenly, and given vested interests more reason to try to delay its energy transition. The big state-owned firms that operate coal-burning generators are also being relied upon by the government to produce much of China’s renewable energy, notes Lauri Myllyvirta of the Helsinki-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. But they would rather not hasten the closure of carbon-spewing power stations that they had intended to keep working for a good three decades. ■

vested interest  /ˌvestɪd ˈɪntrəst/    n.<常贬>既得利益;
 a personal reason for wanting something to happen, especially because you get some advantage from it

energy transition

Helsinki    [ˈhelsiŋki]  以赫尔辛基为

hasten   /ˈheɪsn/  v =hurry
hasten to do sth
to say or do something without delay

spew  /spjuː/  v
1>  to flow out quickly, or to make something flow out quickly, in large amounts   (使)喷出;(使)放出;(使)涌出  
2>   to vomit (= bring food from the stomach back out through the mouth)  呕吐