GreenergyDaily

Sep. 14, 2024

1. In August, China's coal output increased by 2.8% compared to the same period last year. The rise was due to higher thermal power generation and strong demand from the chemical industry. China, the world's largest coal producer, mined 396.55 million metric tons of coal in August, up from 390.37 million tons in July. The high temperatures in July and August drove up power demand as air conditioning was widely used.

2. The Biden administration on Friday locked in steep tariff hikes on Chinese imports, including a 100% duty on electric vehicles, to boost protections for strategic industries from China's state-driven industrial practices. The U.S. Trade Representative's office said that many of the tariffs, including a 100% duty on Chinese EVs, 50% on solar cells and 25% on steel, aluminum, EV batteries and key minerals, would take effect on Sept. 27.

3. The EU is aiming to hold a vote to introduce definitive tariffs on electric vehicles imported from China on Sept. 25, according to Bloomberg citing people familiar with the plan. The European Commission is on the verge of proposing final tariffs of up to 35.3% on EVs built in China, on top of the EU's standard 10% car import duty. On Thursday, the EU received offers from EV makers in China for minimum import prices into the union as a way of avoiding tariffs, but had rejected all of them.

4. There have been small signs of an uptick in prices in the upstream of China’s troubled solar industry, after a sustained drop across the supply chain for more than a year after a slew of new capacity came on stream. While prices of photovoltaic silicon material, a key product in the upstream supply chain, have shown indications of picking up recently, prices of downstream solar panels remain under pressure.

5. The first prototype auto produced by Chinese auto manufacturer SAIC Motor and its German partner Audi will be revealed to the public at the end of the year, and should hit the market in the first half next year, according to the chief executive officer of the Audi-SAIC joint project.

6. Li Auto announced today that its 100,000th mass-produced L6 vehicle has rolled off the production line, about five months after its launch. Deliveries of the L6 have exceeded 20,000 units for three consecutive months, CEO Li Xiang said.

7. Xpeng to mass produce 1st hybrid model in H2 2025, report says. Xpeng's first EREV model is under development, internally codenamed G01, and will primarily target the RMB 200,000 ($28,190) plus price band, according to local media.

8. China's commerce ministry said on Saturday the country will begin an anti-dumping investigation into halogenated butyl rubber imported from Canada, Japan and India from Saturday. Halogenated butyl rubber is commonly used in the production of tires, pharmaceutical stoppers, sealants and other products.

9. European countries benefit from trade w/ China, so imposing high tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles could harm local industries. The EU should carefully weigh the pros & cons of its tariff policy, said Prof. Liu Chunsheng at the Central University of Finance and Economics.

10. At the 2024 Taiyuan Energy Low Carbon Development Forum in Shanxi province, many foreign companies expressed optimism about China's green energy transition, seeking collaboration in key areas like hydrogen, wind, and solar energy.