2002 Volume 11 Issue 1 Pages 53-68
Emissions from the power generation sector in China, a major cause of local air pollution, acid rain as well as climate change, is a serious issue which needs to be addressed urgently.
Focusing on coal fired power generation, this paper reviews the current situation from the standpoint of climate change mitigation. It shows that in spite of the political difficulties involved, appropriate international cooperation for the transfer of more efficient coal-fired power generation technology to China is essential given the huge impact on global Co2 emissions and the unique energy structure in China.
It then analyzes barriers to the development, transfer and deployment of relevant technologies in China according to different technological levels. By comparing the experience of OECD countries with that of China and examining the problems associated with FDI to the sector, the paper points out that nearcommercial power generation technologies and advanced technologies face different sets of problems. Namely, while the main barriers to the former relate to Chinese domestic policy measures, those concerning the latter are the lack of international support to enable demonstration and further R&D of technologies.
The study further examines modalities and trends of international cooperation for the Chinese power generation sector to identify the issues which need to be tackled to solve the problems. Lessons learned from past efforts and the possible direction of future cooperation suggest that future efforts should be directed at these issues. These include intellectual contribution to improve Chinese domestic energy-environment policies, protection of property right and enforcement of the support for expensive import technologies, strengthening the support for transfer of advanced power generation technologies, utilization of CDM, and support measures based on comprehensive analysis.
