Updated Dec 15, 2020 | 10:42 IST
The latest initiative is a further manifestation of Gujarat s commitment to transition from a coal-based economy into a renewables-centred one. Representational image. | Photo Credit: PTI
Key Highlights
PM Modi has pledged to achieve a renewable energy generation target of 450GW by 2030, and 175GW by 2022
The Kutch renewable energy park is expected to have two zones – a 49,000-hectare hybrid zone that will house wind and solar power plants, and an additional wind park zone taking up 23,000 hectares
A 2019 report released by the Institute of Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) also acknowledged Gujarat s potential to become a leading state in India s renewables energy charge
Investors are not buying into the myth of a coal industry ‘renaissance’
At the world’s biggest coal export port in England, no China-bound ships are waiting or scheduled to load before Christmas
By Ben Smee and Ben Butler / The Guardian
Three years ago, pictures of bulk carriers lined up off the coast of Mackay, Australia, were framed as evidence of a “renaissance” in the coal industry.
There were more than 70 coal ships in the offshore gridlock in December 2017. This year, there were just 12 waiting equaling a record low set at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the world’s biggest coal export port in Newcastle, England, no China-bound ships are waiting or scheduled to load before Christmas. More than 50 ships carrying Australian coal are reportedly waiting off the Chinese coast.
China restricts Australian coal imports amid deteriorating relationship between Canberra and Beijing
The Global Times says that China s top economic planner has authorised power plants to import coal without restriction â except from Australia. China s other suppliers include Mongolia, Indonesia and Russia, and it also produces coal domestically.
The goal is ostensibly to stabilise coal purchase prices . China is also looking to cut down on its coal use in the push to reduce carbon emissions in coming decades.
However, Wang Yongzhong, director of the Institute of Energy Economy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, drew attention to the political overtones of the move.
China bans Australian coal imports: Global Times report geelongadvertiser.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from geelongadvertiser.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
China formalises cut to Australian coal imports, state media reports
China has formalised import restrictions targeting Australia’s $14bn coal exports, Chinese state media has reported.
The National Development and Reform Commission met 10 major power companies on the weekend and granted approval for them to import coal without clearance restrictions, except for Australia, according to the Global Times.
The report suggested China will prioritise imports from Mongolia, Indonesia and Russia, and power companies will share inventory to ensure prices do not exceed 640 yuan ($97.8) per tonne.
China’s import restrictions have left hundreds of millions of tonnes of Australian coal anchored off the Chinese coast in a deepening trade dispute with Beijing.