China boosts generating capacity in 2006

[Financial Times, 7 February] China Electric Power News, the state industry voice, announced that China added 102 GWe of new generating capacity in 2006, more than the total installed capacity in UK and Ireland, or twice the capacity of California. Most if this was coal-fired, and the announcement said that Beijing would resist international pressure to slow its growth in energy demand - with the corollary of CO2 emissions. The 2006 power increment is likely to account for some 500 million extra tonnes of CO2 emissions. Only 1% of the capacity added in 2006 is nuclear.