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
China's commitment to its path of opening up will continue as a long-term national strategy and should increasingly be defined by inclusiveness, a national political advisor said Friday.
Zhou Hanmin, a member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the 14th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and president of the Shanghai Public Diplomacy Association, made the remarks in an interview with China Media Group (CMG) during the annual political "two sessions" underway in Beijing.
"Opening-up is and has been a long-term national policy and a strategy ever since China opened itself up (to the world) some 48 years ago. Ever since China joined WTO (World Trade Organization), you could see it has fundamentally changed the formats of economic movements. So opening-up is a reference and also a driving force," he said.
Zhou stressed China must also invite less privileged nations to share in the prosperity of a more open world.
"Inclusiveness is one word that should be used to modify China's opening-up. I (previously) submitted a bill in CPPCC for the zero tariff for those least developed nations' exportation to China. Because for each and every China International Import Expo, you can see quite a large number of exhibitors coming from the least developed countries. We need to give them very genuine help. We are just in the situation of that. We just try to do not only with developed nations, but the Global South and rest of the countries, all together," he said.
Zhou's comments come amid the ongoing "two sessions", the annual meetings of China's top legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC), and the top political advisory body, the National Committee of the CPPCC. Both bodies serve a five-year term and hold a plenary session each year, generally in March.
The fourth session of the 14th NPC and the fourth session of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC kicked off in Beijing on Thursday and Wednesday, respectively. A main focus is the adoption of the country's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), a key blueprint guiding China's drive toward modernization. When asked about key signals from the plan that the international community should closely watch, Zhou outlined several key issues.
"We are now carrying on this Five-Year Plan in the most crucial period of time. We are going to generally modernize the country (in) another 10 years. In this five-year period of time, we need to focus more on creation. Creation not necessarily in the field of technology. Creation means the modernization of the governance, create lots of new things in the system and methods of governance. This is also important," Zhou said.
"The modernization of industrial systems, the further expansion of the ability of consumption, and we try to know very well the longevity, whatever solves people's daily needs. The last but not least, we try to understand fully international collaboration. Opening-up is still a driving force," he said.
China's opening-up should continue path of inclusiveness: political advisor
China's opening-up should continue path of inclusiveness: political advisor
