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德国地方煤炭转型案例对山西低碳能源转型的启示
英文执行摘要 Executive Summary
With abundant coal resources, China’s Shanxi province has produced nearly one quar-
ter of China’s cumulative coal output since the proclamation of the People’s Republic of
China in 1949, making it one of the most important coal bases in the country. As China’s
largest coal producing province, Shanxi’s annual coal production has exceeded one bil-
lion tons for the second year in a row since 2020. In the international context, Shanxi’s
annual coal production is 47% higher than that of India, the world’s second-largest
coal-producing country. Not surprisingly, Shanxi’s coal transition not only serves as an
exemplar of China’s energy transformation, but is also where the bottleneck lies. The
successful transition of Shanxi’s coal industry is of great significance to climate agen-
das not only in China but also other parts of the world.
The State Council of China designated Shanxi province to drastically transform itself
from a “giant coal miner” to a “pioneer in the energy revolution.” Energy transition in
Shanxi is a process combining the economic, social, and ecological transformation of
a resource-reliant economy. This daunting task extends far beyond the energy sector,
involving a wide range of fields such as economy and society, such as the livelihoods of
people and communities in coal producing regions. Given the enormous difficulty and
complexity of this transformation, structural changes in Shanxi would not be achiev-
able without efficient governance, effective cooperation between central and local gov-
ernments, and win-win international cooperation in place.
Germany, similarly to Shanxi, used to largely depend on coal. The post-war econom-
ic boom in Germany (Wirtschaftswunder) was mainly fueled by hard coal mined in the
states of North Rhine-Westphalia and the Saarland. Coal once accounted for more than
60% of German primary energy consumption, and 600,000 people were employed in
the hard coal mining industry. Historically, the German coal industry and its employees
were held in high regard by society as a whole, and public perception towards the coal
value chain was rather positive, especially in coal producing regions. Even when its out-
put and related employment started to decline, coal was still commonly recognized as a
key pillar that contributed to regional economic growth.
From the golden era of coal to the legislation of coal phasing-out (1950-2020), Germa-
ny’s long goodbye to coal has lasted for more than half a century. The ongoing energy
crisis exacerbated by the Russo-Ukrainian war led to a tightening demand-supply bal-
ance of natural gas, which was once regarded as a key “bridging fuel” in support of Ger-
man energy transition (Energiewende). Inevitably, in the short term the Energiewende
has been bound to a certain extent with ensuring national energy security, which took
center stage and became a top priority in many countries including both Germany and
China. Therefore, Sino-German energy and climate cooperation, especially at the re-
gional level, has crucial importance to advance the global energy transition agenda in
the era of rising geopolitical rivalry.
With three case studies at the local level and one policy instrument at the national lev-
el, this report strives to share selective experience and lessons learned from the Ener-
giewende (see figure below), aiming to shed light on how similar transition in Shanxi
and beyond may unfold in the years to come.
VIP
