Ports and coal transfer: Hug of China's energy supply policy

Abstract

Coal is the prime energy source in China and, accordingly, its movement greatly influences infrastructure development there. Fundamental to this development is the coordination of interlocking transport modes. Because energy producing and consuming regions are geographically distinct, coal movement rests on the adequate provision of railways and coastal shipping. Hitherto that provision has been lacking, and the country has paid a high price in consequence. Recently, large-scale infrastructure programmes have been initiated to remedy this situation. Ports and their attendant railway connections in northern China are central to these efforts, as the paper explains.