Central government inspectors have slammed China’s energy authority for failing to apply environmental standards on rampant coal power expansion across the country. 

The unusually critical inspection report into the National Energy Administration (NEA) has been interpreted by analysts as a warning to civil servants that president Xi Jinping’s climate ambition is to be reflected across all energy planning decisions.

The Central Environmental Inspection Team (CEIT) report accused “some comrades of the NEA” of failing to attach enough importance to environmental protection and the promotion of low-carbon energy, which it described as a “deviation in ideological understanding”.

The report criticised the building of coal power plants in populous regions with bad air pollution, accused the NEA of failing to stop coal mines producing more than they were supposed to and denounced poor policy coordination regarding renewable energy consumption.

Although staffed by officials from the relatively weak environment ministry, the CEIT reports to Han Zheng, a powerful member of the Politburo and President Xi’s right-hand man on environmental issues.

Guest post from Climate Home News