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Article

5 Mar 2017

Author:
Liu Qin & Tang Damin, China Dialogue

AIIB plans to “conditionally” support coal power

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), …has closed its second public consultation on its future energy strategy. …Particular attention has focused on whether the bank will prioritise investments in low-carbon renewable technologies or in fossil fuel energy sources...[with] long term environmental consequences…[T]he rather ambiguous phrase “modern energy” that appears in both drafts to describe the type of energy...will be used to achieve the strategy’s goals. Civil society observers have pointed out that “modern energy” does not necessarily mean clean and renewable energy…Instead, investments have focused on bringing energy and electricity to rural areas, upgrading fossil fuel electricity generation, and the “responsible” construction of hydropower capacity…[O]f the four energy projects approved by the bank so far, the majority are unrelated to renewable energy, which fails to reflect the bank’s cited concern over climate change…[T]he second draft of the energy sector strategy says that efficient and clean oil and coal-fired power plants will be considered where they replace older equipment or in regions that are unable to use alternative forms of energy…Similarly, in the first round of consultations there was controversy over whether or not the bank should invest in hydropower…[which] could have an irreversible impact on the environment…

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