World's largest coal-fired carbon capture project in operation

illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on China Daily or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: China Huaneng Group has officially launched the world’s largest coal-fired carbon capture project at its Zhengning power plant in Gansu province, following the successful completion of a 72-hour trial run
• The facility is designed to capture 1.5 million tonnes of CO₂ annually with a capture rate exceeding 90% and CO₂ purity above 99%, using entirely domestically developed technologies and equipment

🔭 The context: Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) has gained renewed momentum in China as the country seeks to balance continued fossil fuel use with its 2030 peak emissions and 2060 carbon neutrality goals
• Coal still provides over 55% of China’s electricity
• This project marks a major milestone in industrial-scale CCUS deployment and showcases China's growing technical capacity in decarbonizing existing energy infrastructure

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: CCUS is one of the few available technologies to reduce emissions from hard-to-abate sectors like coal power
• With global progress on CCUS lagging, China’s deployment at scale could be a catalyst for broader adoption, particularly in Asia
• However, concerns remain around cost-effectiveness, permanence of storage, and long-term reliance on fossil fuels rather than full energy system transformation

⏭️ What's next: The captured CO₂ will be used in enhanced oil recovery, green fuel production, and mineralized construction materials—highlighting China's push for integrated carbon utilization. The project could serve as a blueprint for retrofitting other coal-fired plants across China. Further policy clarity and financial mechanisms will be crucial for widespread replication, particularly as international scrutiny grows over CCUS credibility and its role in national climate strategies.

💬 One quote: “The project marks a new stage in the industrial-scale demonstration and application of CCUS technology in China.” – China Huaneng Group

📈 One stat: 1.5 million tonnes of CO₂ per year — equivalent to removing over 300,000 passenger vehicles from the road — will be captured from a single coal-fired unit under this project

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