China’s Trans-Pacific Pollution Hits the U.S.

With over 1,108 GWs of coal-fired generation, how much of China’s carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxide emissions ride the prevailing “Westerlies” and pollute our Western skies?

As early as 2014, studies in the U.S. showed that air pollution derived from Chinese manufacturing did not respect international borders and were a major contributing factor to the pollution in our Western States. The National Academy of Sciences had found that between 12 and 24 percent of sulfur-based air pollution over the U.S was originated in China. Fast forward to 2024!

It was found in 2014 that the pollutants from China were the basis for increased cyclone formation over the Pacific, heightened ozone levels in California and a 7% increase in Northwest rainfall. What will be the effect on our Western States as over 8.25 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions derived from China’s coal-fired power plants pollute the atmosphere?

In April 2021, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to “strictly control coal-fired power generation projects” in China. Since Xi’s proclamation, “209 new coal-fired power plants are either under construction or permitted in China,” thus adding the equivalent of India’s entire coal fleet to its grid over the next 5 years. By 2030, Xi’s “strict control” pledge will have increased China’s coal capacity by 23% with the completion of one coal-fired plant every 2 weeks!

As we are all aware, coal-fired power plants are not “peakers” that can be turned on and off as grid conditions change. A coal-fired power plant is considered a “base load plant” built to run for 40 to 50 years. Despite China’s pledges to decarbonize, these plants will provide cheap and reliable electricity into China’s long-term future.

NERC’s December 12, 2023, Long-Term Reliability Assessment indicated that, as (U.S.) fossil generation is retired, “resource growth is becoming more challenging.” Simply put, as the U.S. relies more and more on “renewables” , China is strengthening its power grid via coal-fired generation, all the while allowing its flue gas emissions of CO2, SO2, and NO to affect our Western skies.

Between 1970 and 2021, the combined (U.S.) emissions of the six common pollutants (PM2.5 and PM10, SO2, NOx, VOCs, CO and Pb) dropped by 78 percent. Any progress the U.S. has made will be endangered by, what Gary Smith, President & CEO of PowerSouth Energy Cooperative calls, “The China Syndrome”!