HOW WE COMPILED COAL DATA AND CALCULATED EMISSIONS

Refinitiv Eikon’s BRI Connect Application database provided Chinese coal project data (project name, status, source of financing, with additional details (energy capacity, coordinates, heat rate, and emission factors) sourced and doubly verified by NGOs, Global Energy Monitor and the Natural Resource Defense Council, which track coal development through both satellite footage and local reporting.

Google provided satellite imagery, which is typically accurate within 1-3 years.

Emissions were estimated based on a formula from Global Energy Monitor where CO2 emissions (in Megatonnes) equals capacity (Megawattage) * capacity factor (we assumed IEA‘s estimated global average of 52.8%) * combustion heat rate (if unknown, we assumed MIT’s estimated rate for supercritical efficiency of 8863 Btu/kWh) * emission factor (if unknown, we assumed DOE’s rate for lignite coal of 101,000 kg of CO2 per TJ) * 9.2427e-12 (unit coefficient).

Only Chinese sources of financing are listed, with supplemental non-Chinese financing sources omitted. While various Chinese state-owned and privately-owned enterprises are grouped as “SOE” and “POE” respectively, we individually list out China’s biggest coal backers: China Development Bank (CDB), Export Import Bank of China (ExIm), Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), Bank of China (BOC), and China’s Silk Road Fund (SRF).

The latest available data was from Refinitiv Eikon: BRI Connect App as of August 15, 2019.

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