China’s New-Generation Coal-Fired Power Pilots Pave Way for Clean Energy Transition

In 2025, the cumulative grid-connected installed capacity of China’s wind and solar power reached 1.84 billion kilowatts, accounting for 47.3% of the total installed capacity and historically surpassing thermal power. This milestone marks a new stage in the construction of a new power system, raising the question of the future direction of traditional thermal power, the “ballast stone” of the power system.

With the National Energy Administration announcing the first batch of pilot projects for enhancing the construction capacity of the new power system, a clear answer has emerged. Among the 8 new-generation coal-fired power projects, China Energy Group accounts for 4, including Unit 4 of Xinjiang Hami Dananhu Power Plant, Unit 4 of Jiangsu Changzhou Power Plant, Unit 2 of Jiangsu Chenjiagang Power Plant and Unit 2 of Guangdong Qingyuan Power Plant. Each selected unit has its own characteristics, outlining a feasible path for traditional coal-fired power to become cleaner, more flexible and intelligent, while providing solid support for the large-scale grid connection and consumption of new energy.

Li Wenkai, Vice President of the Power Engineering Consulting Institute of China Electric Power Planning & Engineering Institute, said efficient regulation is the core goal of coal-fired power transformation, directly related to its adaptability to new energy. “In terms of efficient regulation, deep peak shaving and load change rate jointly determine the supporting capacity of coal-fired power for new energy,” he noted, adding that it not only makes room for new energy power generation but also quickly responds to grid load fluctuations to ensure stable power supply.

The pilot requires units to achieve a minimum stable operating load rate of 20%, meaning coal-fired power units can operate stably at one-fifth of their full load to make more room for new energy. All four projects selected by China Energy Group can meet this requirement. Chenjiagang Power Plant has successfully realized “heat-power decoupling” through molten salt energy storage technology, breaking the operational constraint of traditional cogeneration and enabling independent control of power generation and heating systems.

Jiangsu Changzhou Power Plant has upgraded its “multi-channel silo + energy storage silo” technology to achieve more flexible regulation. Its load change rate reaches 2.5% of the rated power per minute, allowing a 1 million-kilowatt unit to flexibly adjust 25,000 kilowatts of power generation per minute, which can immediately respond to changes in electricity demand of a medium-sized community.

Clean carbon reduction is another core area of the pilot projects. Guangdong Qingyuan Power Plant mixes agricultural and forestry wastes such as wood processing scraps from local furniture industrial parks for combustion, building a circular economy model of “agricultural and forestry wastes - clean electricity” and achieving a 10% carbon reduction. China Energy News reports that this approach not only solves the pollution problem of open burning of agricultural and forestry wastes but also achieves carbon emission reduction without additional costs.

CCUS (Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage), known as the “carbon recovery artifact” of coal-fired power, is a key technology for deep carbon reduction. At Jiangsu Taizhou Power Plant of China Energy Group, a 500,000-ton/year carbon capture and comprehensive utilization demonstration project is operating stably, becoming an industry benchmark. China Energy Group has also edited and participated in formulating 9 national CCUS standards, improving the whole industrial chain standard system.

Jiangsu Changzhou Power Plant’s Unit 4 has successfully controlled the increase in power supply coal consumption at 30% ultra-low load to within 15% compared with the rated load, achieving a balance between flexibility and efficiency. By 2025, wind and solar power generation in China increased by 25% year-on-year, accounting for 22% of the total power generation, while thermal power still accounted for 60% and coal-fired power about 50%.

The four pilot units of China Energy Group have provided different transformation paths for coal-fired power plants in different regions and stages, leading the high-quality transformation of traditional coal-fired power and boosting the construction of China’s new power system.