Chinese energy firm uses ammonia in coal-fired power unit in bid to cut emissions

China Energy Investment Corporation says it has developed a technology allowing it to add ammonia – which burns cleaner than fossil fuels – to the mix

It’s seen by some experts as an effective way for the country to lower carbon emissions, but others say it is too costly and inefficient

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Coal-fired power generation is the biggest source of China’s carbon dioxide emissions, producing about 35 per cent of the total. Photo: AFP

Published: 9:00am, 28 Jan 2022

A Chinese state-run energy company says it has developed a technology that allows it to add ammonia to its coal-fired power units to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

China Energy Investment Corporation on Monday said it had for the first time burned 35 per cent ammonia at a coal-fired power unit, in Shandong province, after the project passed an industry review.

Using ammonia – which burns cleaner than fossil fuels – is seen by some energy experts as an effective way for the nation’s coal-fired power plants to lower their carbon emissions, but others say it is too costly and inefficient.

China is the world’s largest consumer of energy and its biggest greenhouse gas emitter. Coal-fired power generation is currently the biggest source of the country’s carbon dioxide emissions, producing about 35 per cent of the total.

Beijing has pledged to reach peak carbon emissions before 2030 and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. But it has a long way to go to decarbonise its power sector: nearly 70 per cent still comes from burning coal.

Given that heavy reliance on coal, some experts argue that “clean coal” technologies are essential to achieving these goals because the country will not be able to make the shift away from coal in a short time.

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