China on fast track in reducing energy consumption intensity of coal-fired power: reports

China has achieved remarkable results in energy consumption intensity reduction in its coal-fired power generation industry, according to two reports released in Beijing on Tuesday.

The two reports, one on China's electric power development and another on China's energy development, showed that the country's coal-fired power generation industry is making progress in advancing decarbonization and promoting a green and low-carbon transition.

According to the reports, China's efforts to enhance the efficiency of coal consumption in its power generation industry have yielded fruitful results, with pollutant emissions falling significantly.

In 2023, the standard coal consumption of thermal power plants with a capacity of 6,000 kilowatts and above was 302 grams of standard coal per kWh, down nearly 20 grams from the past decade.

"China is facilitating the innovative development of a new generation of coal-fired power, with efforts made in three aspects - fuel, operation, and emissions - to reduce the carbon emission intensity of coal-fired power, which is expected to reach that of natural gas power generation in the future," said Liu Shiyu, deputy director of China Electric Power Planning and Engineering Institute.

The reports also showed that China's electricity consumption in emerging industries is growing strongly, and its proportion in terminal energy consumption is constantly improving, placing China among the international front-runners.

As China's technology in utilizing electric energy continues to progress, the proportion of electric energy in terminal energy consumption has been rising steadily. The country's electric energy accounted for 28 percent of terminal energy consumption in 2023, an increase of 6.7 percentage points compared to a decade ago.

The structure of China electricity consumption is also optimized, with the electricity consumption in high-tech and equipment manufacturing industries increased by 11.3 percent year on year, exceeding the level of overall electricity consumption growth in the manufacturing industry.

"China's proportion of electric energy in terminal energy consumption far exceeds that of the U.S. and Western Europe. As a large amount of electric power replaces the consumption of coal and oil, it will not only create a cleaner and more convenient terminal energy consumption scenario, but also serve as an important measure to accelerate China's green and low-carbon transformation," said Liu.

Next, China will continue to encourage electric energy substitution in various fields such as industry, construction, transportation and agriculture. Its target is to increase the proportion of electric energy in terminal energy consumption to about 30 percent by 2025.

China on fast track in reducing energy consumption intensity of coal-fired power: reports

People in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre recalled the horrible scenes of an air strike on Thursday night, saying that the civilians suffer the most in the war.

After the Lebanese and Israeli governments announced a conditional ceasefire, the Israeli military carried out rounds of airstrikes in southern Lebanon, as unresolved disagreements between Israel and Hezbollah continued to stall ceasefire efforts.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported on Friday that Israeli airstrikes hit several locations in southern Lebanon, killing at least 13 people and wounding 15 others.

Ahmad al-Hsein, who runs a restaurant in Tyre, was on the scene when the strike came. He said all the civilian facilities in the area were severely damaged.

"We were here during the air strike, carrying out our humanitarian work, which is a small thing compared with what's happening. We were providing food to the people here, and during the air strike we were here in the restaurant. A civilian facility, a bank, was targeted, and the restaurant, which is also a civilian facility, was affected. There's nothing else. The entire impact was on the area around Jabal Amel Hospital. We don't know what the target was, there’s nothing there. All the wounded are civilians, and the casualties are civilian," he said.

Mahmoud Srour, a displaced from Teir Harfa, helped clear up the debris on the street following the strike.

"The air strike took place at around 22:30. As you can see, the scale of the destruction is immense. They targeted Bank Audi; there's nothing left here, they targeted a bank. The damage is very extensive. This is a civilian area; there are shops and a restaurant, and the bank is located here. Thank God, we were in the shop when the air strike happened, and chaos ensued. Thank God we were not hurt. There were no fatalities here, but there are wounded," he said.

Civilians recall horrible air strike in southern Lebanon