中国煤炭消费狂欢中的亮点

    笔者在上一篇关于全球能源竞赛的文章中引用了世界资源研究所（World Resources Institute）的一份最新报告。报告称，全球约有1,199座燃煤发电厂正在筹建当中，其中大部分将建在中国和印度。我认为，这论煤炭消费的狂欢肯定会使温室气体减排所取得的成就大打折扣。

    当时我引用了这篇报告的悲观结论，但不久之后便有亮点显现。去年十二月，在距离首都北京90英里的天津市，由华能集团（Huangneng Gruop）自主研建的中国首座洁净煤电站正式投产。这座电站使用一项名为“整体煤气化联合循环”（Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle，IGCC）技术，即将煤在燃烧之前转换成燃气，并减少转换过程中的污染物。这座电站所产生的污染物，如硫和一氧化氮等，仅为传统燃煤发电厂污染物排放量的10%。未来一至两年内，通过增加碳捕获技术，电站可实现二氧化碳零排放。

    世界其他地区的洁净煤项目包括正在密西西比州肯珀县建设当中的南方公司（Southern Company）IGCC电站，以及在印第安纳州爱德华斯波特的杜克能源（Duke Energy）电站，后者计划于今年投产。但如果我们想要解决气候变化问题，同时改善亚洲地区的空气质量，那么就需要中国掌握洁净煤技术。毕竟，中国的电力约80%依赖煤炭，且国内拥有巨大的煤炭储备。

    按工业标准来看，天津电站规模很小，其装机容量约为250兆瓦，相当于一座核电站产能的四分之一，但它的象征意义更为重要。它首次证明，北京2005年提出的绿色煤电计划，即在2015年之前建造接近零排放的燃煤电站的计划，已经走上正轨。

    虽然好处很多，但仍然存在一个棘手的问题。这次的问题是价格。结合ICGG与碳捕获技术可能将燃煤发电的价格推高60%。希望随着行业壮大，建造与管理水平的提高，成本能有所下降。可问题是，没有人知道这一天会在多久之后才能到来。（财富中文网）

    译者：刘进龙/汪皓

    In my last article focused on the global energy race, I cited a new World Resources Institute report that found that some 1,199 coal-fired plants are currently on the drawing board worldwide, with the lion's share being built-in India and China. This coal-buying binge, I argued, could seriously dent any progress made on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

    Soon after I cited the gloomy conclusion of this report, one bright spot appeared. In December, the Huaneng Group flicked the switch on the country's first clean coal plant in Tianjin, China, about 90 miles from Beijing. The plant, which uses a technology called Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC), turns coal into gas before burning and, in the process, reduces pollutants. The Tianjin facility produces only 10% of a conventional coal-fired power station's pollutants such as sulfur and nitrogen oxide. Within the next year or two -- thanks to the addition of carbon capture technology -- it should achieve zero carbon dioxide emissions.

    Other clean coal projects exist around the world including the Southern Company's IGCC plant under construction in Kemper County Mississippi and Duke Energy's plant in Edwardsport, Indiana scheduled to open this year. But the world needs China more than anyone else to master clean coal technology if we are to address climate change seriously and at the same time clean up the air quality for Asia's citizens. After all, China depends on coal for about 80% of its electricity and has vast reserves of the fuel.

    The Tianjin plant is small by industry standards -- about 250 megawatts or about one-quarter the capacity of a nuclear power plant -- but is important symbolically. It is the first evidence that Beijing's 2005 GreenGen program to build a coal-fired power plant with near-zero emissions by 2015 is on track.

    With all good things, there's a catch. This time it's price. By one estimate, the combination of ICGG and carbon capture technology could raise the price of burning coal by as much as 60%. The hope is that as the industry gets better at building and managing the technology, the costs will drop. The trouble is, no one knows how soon.