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China’s coal-fired export ban was cheered by the West. Then came the massive blackouts
Did Beijing’s decision to stop financing overseas coal plants after pressure from US and Europe lead to mass – yet avoidable – power cuts?
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In 2021, when Beijing finally pledged to stop building and financing new coal power plants overseas, Western governments and climate advocates rejoiced. John Kerry, US climate envoy at the time, said he was “absolutely delighted to hear” of the decision.
It is “a key topic of my discussions during my visit to China”, Alok Sharma, a member of the British House of Lords, wrote on social media, suggesting it was a result of pressure from the West.
But now, from Chile to Spain to Portugal, country after country is grappling with major blackouts. A troubling question is emerging: has this major climate victory over China backfired?
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Because while China agreed to halt coal power exports under intense international pressure, at home it took the opposite approach.
Far from abandoning coal, China doubled down on advanced, ultra-efficient coal units that acted as grid stabilisers, backing up its massive expansion of wind and solar power.
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In effect, China developed a dual strategy: export pure green energy to the world while keeping the stabilising backup systems and tech largely for itself.
Today, as renewable-heavy grids in Europe and Latin America face strain, and extreme weather exposes the vulnerabilities of intermittent power sources, the irony is hard to ignore: while nations are embracing that green future, they are confronting power failures that may have been tempered with the very technologies that they asked China not to export.
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