Why China is building so many coal plants despite its solar and wind boom?

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By KEN MORITSUGU Associated Press. 

Excerpt: BEIJING -- Even as China's expansion of solar and wind power raced ahead in 2025, the Asian giant opened many more coal power plants than it had in recent years — raising concern about whether the world's largest emitter will reduce carbon emissions enough to limit climate change. ...At the same time, even larger additions of wind and solar capacity nudged down the share of coal in total power generation last year. Power from coal fell about 1% as growth in cleaner energy sources covered all the increase in electricity demand last year. ...If more of the nation's 1.4 billion people climb into the middle class, more will be able to afford air conditioners and washing machines. ...The government position is that coal provides a stable backup to sources such as wind and solar, which are affected by weather and the time of day. The shortages in 2022 resulted partly from a drought that hit hydropower, a major energy source in western China. ...“Whether China’s coal power expansion ultimately translates into higher emissions will depend on ... whether coal power’s role is genuinely constrained to backup and supporting rather than baseload generation,” [Qi] Qin said.... 

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