Over the past 20 years, electricity consumption in the Asia-Pacific region has maintained rapid growth, with an average annual growth rate of 3%. The main new electricity demand comes from economies such as China, South Korea, Indonesia, Chinese Taipei, Mexico, and Vietnam. In terms of power supply structure, the Asia-Pacific region is primarily composed of coal-fired, gas-fired, and hydroelectric power, accounting for 42.1%, 19.4%, and 13.9% respectively. The coal-fired power share exceeds 15% in 14 economies, including China (69.2%), Hong Kong, China (63.7%), Australia (63.6%), Indonesia (54.6%), the Philippines (47.7%), Chinese Taipei (44.3%), Malaysia (44.1%), South Korea (42.1%), Chile (38.1%), Vietnam (37.8%), Japan (33.2%), the United States (31.5%), Thailand (19.8%), and Russia (15.7%). New Zealand, Canada, Peru, Vietnam, and Chile have power structures dominated by hydroelectric power. Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, Russia, Mexico, and Peru have power structures dominated by gas-fired power. Promoting clean and efficient coal-fired power generation technologies in the Asia-Pacific region is of great significance.

Analyzing the economic development, resource endowments, energy production and consumption, power energy composition, and energy development plans of various economies in the Asia-Pacific region, the future energy technology needs of developed economies in the region are as follows: Australia has needs for ultra-supercritical coal-fired, CFB (Circulating Fluidized Bed), and ultra-low emission coal-fired technologies. Canada may have some demand for ultra-low emission technologies in the future. Hong Kong, China has limited space for demand in clean coal-fired power generation and environmental protection retrofits. Japan has significant demand for ultra-supercritical and ultra-low emission technologies, but since its domestic power generation technologies are advanced, Chinese technologies need to leverage their cost advantages. South Korea will have significant demand for ultra-supercritical coal-fired and ultra-low emission technologies in the future. New Zealand has only limited space for renewable energy technology demand. Singapore will increase its demand for renewable energy technologies in the future, but the development space for clean coal-fired technologies is limited. Chinese Taipei will have significant demand for ultra-supercritical coal-fired and ultra-low emission technologies in the future. The United States has certain demand for ultra-low emission technology retrofits.

The future energy technology needs of less developed economies are as follows: Brunei has no demand for clean coal-fired power generation technologies. Chile has a need for ultra-low emission technologies. Indonesia will have significant demand space for ultra-supercritical coal-fired, CFB combustion, and ultra-low emission technologies. Malaysia will also have significant demand space for ultra-supercritical coal-fired, CFB combustion, and ultra-low emission technologies. Mexico has limited demand for ultra-low emission technologies. Papua New Guinea has great potential for future electricity demand but low demand for coal-fired power technologies. Peru has basically no demand for coal technologies. The Philippines has rapidly growing electricity demand and very large demand space for ultra-supercritical coal-fired, CFB coal-fired, and ultra-low emission technologies. Russia has the necessity to promote ultra-low emissions, but the progress will be relatively slow. Thailand has significant demand for ultra-supercritical coal-fired, CFB combustion, and ultra-low emission technologies. Vietnam has very large development space for ultra-supercritical coal-fired, CFB combustion, and ultra-low emission technologies.

Over the past 40 years of reform and opening up, China's power energy supply capacity has achieved leapfrog development. By the end of 2017, China's installed power generation capacity reached 1.777 billion kilowatts, with a total power generation of 641.71 billion kilowatt-hours. The per capita installed power generation capacity was 1.28 kilowatts, which were 31 times, 25 times, and 21 times those of 1978, respectively. By 2017, China's coal-fired power installed capacity reached 1.105 billion kilowatts (including 980 million kilowatts of coal-fired units), hydropower installed capacity reached 344 million kilowatts, wind power installed capacity reached 163 million kilowatts, solar power installed capacity reached 129 million kilowatts, and nuclear power installed capacity reached 35.82 million kilowatts. China ranked first in the world in installed capacity for coal-fired, hydropower, wind power, and photovoltaic power generation. The share of renewable energy sources such as hydropower, wind power, and solar power in total installed capacity rose from 24.6% in 2000 to 36.7% in 2017. By adjusting energy policies in a timely manner and continuously optimizing the power energy structure, China has improved energy utilization efficiency. By the end of 2017, the proportion of coal-fired units with 300,000 kilowatts and above in total coal-fired installed capacity had risen to 80%. In 2017, units of 300,000 kilowatts, 600,000 kilowatts, and 1,000,000 kilowatts accounted for 34.7%, 34.5%, and 10.2% of total coal-fired installed capacity, respectively. In 2017, the average coal consumption for power supply of coal-fired units dropped to 309 grams of standard coal per kilowatt-hour, and the water consumption per unit power generation of thermal power plants was 1.25 kg per watt-hour. Since 2010, coal consumption for power supply has decreased by 21 grams of standard coal per kilowatt-hour, saving more than 70 million tons of standard coal annually and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 2 billion tons. In 2017, national power sector emissions of dust, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides were approximately 260,000 tons, 1.2 million tons, and 1.14 million tons, respectively. The carbon dioxide emissions per kilowatt-hour of thermal power generation were about 844 grams, a decrease of 19.5% compared to 2005. China has made positive progress in developing ultra-supercritical coal-fired power, large-parameter circulating fluidized bed power, combined heat and power, ultra-low emission coal-fired power, and promoting overseas coal-fired power projects. The second phase of Taizhou Power Plant, with two 1,000 MW ultra-supercritical units, adopted advanced technologies such as double reheat to reduce power coal consumption to 256.91 g/kWh and 256.15 g/kWh. The second phase of Ninghai Power Plant, with two 1,000 MW units, achieved five domestic firsts. After ultra-low emission, the emission indicators far exceeded environmental protection requirements. The Bai Ma 600 MW circulating fluidized bed demonstration project fully utilized independently developed intellectual property technology, making it the world's first 600 MW grade circulating fluidized bed unit and the largest single-unit circulating fluidized bed unit. The Jiangsu Huamei Thermal Power Project, with two 350 MW units, adopted an ultra-supercritical, single-furnace, once intermediate reheat, solid slagging, circulating fluidized bed boiler independently developed by Oriental Boiler Factory. It achieved world-leading ultra-low NOx emission indicators without SCR and without SNCR denitrification systems. Technical highlights include optimized contraction ratio technology along the depth direction of the boiler furnace lower part, high-position secondary air oxygen control technology, multi-parallel expanded water wall technology, distributor plate zoning technology, and stable continuous coal feeding technology under variable load conditions. The Dalian Development Zone Thermal Power Plant, with two 350 MW supercritical coal-fired units, achieved thermal-electric decoupling through transform. Sanhe Power Plant implemented various measures to build a demonstration plant for 'near-zero emissions'; Zhoushan Power Plant was the first in China to achieve 'near-zero emissions'. The South Sumatra Electricity Project in Indonesia, China's first overseas investment coal-fired integrated IPP project, set the record for the longest continuous operation cycle of Chinese units after commissioning in Indonesia and is one of the backbone thermal power plants of the South Sumatra Grid. These series of clean and efficient coal-fired power projects fully demonstrate that China has taken the world lead in developing clean and efficient coal-fired power.

Based on the development of China's coal-fired power technology and the energy development needs of APEC economies, a promotion plan for clean and efficient coal-fired power technology is proposed. Developing economies such as Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines are in an ascending phase of economic development with rapidly growing electricity demand and a strong need for low-cost power generation technologies. Compared to technologies from the United States and Japan, China's clean coal-fired power technology offers cost advantages, making it suitable for promoting ultra-supercritical coal-fired power technology in these economies. Additionally, circulating fluidized bed (CFB) combustion technology can be promoted in coal-producing economies like Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand. Considering the sensitivity of each economy to power generation costs and their environmental concerns, desulfurization and denitrification processes can be appropriately adjusted to ensure economic viability while meeting environmental requirements. Technical designs for ultra-low emission retrofits should be prepared, and retrofitting space should be reserved. In Russia, Mexico, and Chile, small-capacity clean coal-fired power technology and ultra-low emission technologies can be promoted. The promotion of clean coal-fired power technology can be temporarily suspended in Brunei, Peru, and Papua New Guinea.

In the base scenario, developed economies such as Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Chinese Taipei, and the United States will see a reduction in coal-fired power capacity and generation by 2030 compared to 2016. Among developed economies, only Japan, South Korea, and Singapore will experience increases in coal-fired power capacity and generation. Developing economies will all see an increase in coal-fired power capacity by 2030 compared to 2016, with particularly rapid growth in Southeast Asian economies such as Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand. In the low-development scenario, renewable energy generation technologies will develop rapidly across all economies, while coal consumption growth is generally curbed, with only Chile, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand seeing increases in coal-fired power capacity. In the high-development scenario, coal-fired power technology will be widely valued and developed across APEC economies, with only developed economies such as Hong Kong, New Zealand, Chinese Taipei, and the United States experiencing reductions in coal-fired power capacity and generation by 2030 compared to 2016. Renewable energy generation technologies will still develop relatively quickly in this scenario, with most economies increasing their renewable energy capacity and generation. When formulating energy development strategies, economies in the Asia-Pacific region, especially developing ones, should base their choices on their own resource endowments and select appropriate power energy development paths.