China on Saturday begun building of the world's first ultra-supercritical coal-fired power generation unit operating at 650 degrees Celsius, another step in the country's push for cleaner and more efficient coal energy.
The unit, located at the Yuhuan Power Plant in eastern Zhejiang Province, is part of the plant's Phase IV expansion and will contain a ultra-supercritical coal-fired power generator with a main steam pressure of 35 megapascals. Both the main and reheat steam temperatures will reach 650 degrees Celsius, the highest parameters ever recorded for a coal-fire unit globally.
Huaneng said the project uses high-temperature alloy materials developed by itself, ensuring a full domestic control over key technologies.
Once completed, the project will set new records for the highest operating parameters and lowest coal consumption among coal-fired power units, a milestone in clean coal technology and high-efficiency thermal power.
"The Phase IV project of Huaneng Yuhuan Power Plant involves the building of a 1,000 megawatt single-reheat coal-fire ultra-supercritical generator unit operating at 650 degrees Celsius. Compared to existing coal-fired units, it is expected to improve power generation efficiency by about four percentage points, reduce coal consumption per kilowatt-hour by around 10 percent, and cut annual carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 450,000 tons. The project will provide significant support for China's energy security and its dual carbon goals," said Xie Jigang, Party secretary of the Yuhuan Power Plant.
China has been pushing for advanced coal technologies to balance its energy needs with climate commitments, including its pledge to peak carbon emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
China starts building of 650 degrees Celsius ultra-supercritical coal power unit
Chinese President Xi Jinping's New Year message delivered on the New Year Eve has drawn positive responses from scholars and former officials from several countries, who say that the series of global initiatives proposed by Xi have provided fresh momentum for multilateralism and shared development at a time of growing uncertainty.
While the reactions touched on the broader vision outlined in Xi's New Year message, they also focused on the initiatives Xi has put forward over recent years, particularly the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative and the newly proposed Global Governance Initiative.
Highlighting the significant importance of these initiatives, they have emphasized the need for equality, inclusiveness and a fairer international order.
"We need a more just international order and a truly multilateral system. China stands almost alone today as a global force actively advancing genuine multilateralism. Therefore, these initiatives are most welcome," said Michael Schumann, chairman of the German Federal Association for Economic Development and Foreign Trade.
Former Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab has placed the emphasis on dialogue and trust-building between civilizations.
"It is essential now more than ever to promote communication and understanding between China and the world to enhance cultural exchanges and build mutual trust. As President Xi has repeatedly emphasized, China supports principles of unity, inclusiveness and peacefulness. These values should guide our collective efforts to build bridges rather than walls," he said.
From a governance perspective, Russian scholar Ekaterina Zaklyazminskaya, head of the Center for World Politics and Strategic Analysis at the Institute of China and Modern Asia under the Russian Academy of Sciences, has viewed the Global Governance Initiative as a structured response to global challenges.
"The recently proposed Global Governance Initiative presents a comprehensive framework of ideas. It prioritizes establishing a more just international order, champions multilateralism, and upholds the principle of 'people first.' Through its concrete practices, financial assistance, and tangible support for multilateral bodies like the U.N., China has demonstrated that its commitments are substantive. China is taking tangible steps toward a fairer and more reasonable global governance system," she said.
Scholars from the Global South also have seen historical echoes in the initiatives.
"Some of the developed and developing countries have highly welcomed the Global Development Initiative, because this initiative emphasizes the need for partnerships -- partnerships that commit resources to end global poverty and pursue common and shared development. The Global Governance Initiative, in my view, echoes again the call that was made by Asian [and] African countries at the Bandung Conference in 1955 for equality, for mutual respect, for respect of territorial integrity, [and] for respect of sovereignty," said Bongani Maimele, director of international relations at South Africa's National School of Government.
"These initiatives are revolutionary in nature. They are reshaping the political philosophy of global governance. Today's world is far more complex than it was 80 years ago, and interdependence among nations has deepened. Therefore, we need new philosophical perspectives to examine our world and new models of engagement to foster a new type of international relations," said Sheradil Baktygulov, director of Kyrgyzstan's Institute of World Policy.
Int'l scholars praise Xi's initiatives, call for stronger multilateralism
