欧洲退煤进程提速

据路透社2020年7月22日报道，最新发布的数据显示，欧洲退煤进程正在加速。由于风能，太阳能的兴起和相关能源政策，使得化石燃料的价格高企，而不得不退出市场。

Europe’s long goodbye to coal is speeding up, in a transition smoothed by the rise of wind and solar power and energy policy that has priced the fossil fuel out of many markets, according to data released on Wednesday.

 

在欧洲发起工业革命几个世纪之后，煤炭无法与污染较小的燃料竞争发电，促使政府和公司关闭矿山和电厂。

Centuries after powering Europe’s industrial revolution, coal cannot compete with less polluting fuels to generate electricity, prompting governments and companies to close mines and plants.

 

独立智库Ember在半年度报告中称，可再生能源在2020年首次占据主导位置，其发电量占欧盟电力的40％，而化石燃料只占34％。

Renewable sources of power have taken over for the first time in 2020, generating 40% of European Union electricity, while fossil fuels generated 34%, independent think-tank Ember said in a half-yearly report.

 

西班牙2020年上半年煤炭发电量下降58％，甚至是在6月份其剩余煤电厂的一半关闭之前，因为这些工厂不再符合欧盟的排放规定。

In Spain, coal generation fell 58% in the first six months of the year, even before half its remaining plants closed in June as they no longer complied with EU emissions rules.

 

Ember的发现得到了全球能源监测研究人员的支持，他们预测2020年全球煤电厂关闭量将创历史纪录。

Ember’s findings were reinforced by Global Energy Monitor researchers, who predicted a record rate of closures globally in 2020.

 

全球能源监测项目总监克里斯汀·希勒说，西班牙将于2020至2021年间关闭69％的煤厂，这种速度前所未有。

The pace of plant closures in Spain, with 69% of the entire fleet to be shuttered between 2020 and 2021, has no precedent, Global Energy Monitor program director Christine Shearer said.

 

希勒说：“发生如此迅速的下降的事实表明，煤炭发电经济日益缺乏竞争力。”

“The fact that such a rapid decline has taken place indicates the increasingly uncompetitive economics of coal power,” Shearer said.

 

分析师表示，新冠疫情的爆发抑制了电力需求，进一步减少了煤炭消耗。

The COVID-19 outbreak depressed power demand, further reducing coal consumption, the analysts said.

 

Ember说，葡萄牙2020年上半年煤炭产量下降了95％。上周，主要公用事业公司EDP在2019年资产减记之后，将关闭其在伊比利亚的工厂提前至2021年。

In Portugal, coal generation fell 95% in the first half of 2020, Ember said. Last week major utility EDP brought forward its Iberian plant closures to 2021, after writing down their value last year.

 

荷兰、奥地利和法国的煤炭减量均超过50％。瑞典和奥地利在3月关闭了最后一家工厂。

The Netherlands, Austria and France all saw reductions of more than 50%. Sweden and Austria closed their last plants in March.

 

德国煤炭发电量下降了39％，首次低于波兰。波兰目前的煤炭发电量相当于欧盟其余25个国家煤炭发电量的总和。

In Germany coal generation fell 39%, taking it for the first time below Poland, which now generates as much electricity from coal as the EU’s remaining 25 countries put together.

 

“所有五个没有明确关闭工厂计划的欧盟国家都在中欧和东欧”，咨询公司Energy Aspects在七月的另一份报告中表示，并预测波兰对煤炭的依赖将导致欧盟内部局势紧张。

All five EU countries with no clear closure plan for their plants are in central and eastern Europe, consultancy Energy Aspects said in a separate report this month, predicting Poland’s coal reliance will cause tension in the bloc.