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Today at the UN Energy Transition Coalition high-level event, the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA) has announced that since the beginning of September seven new members have joined its ranks:

The new members will work together with the Alliance to pave the way to a faster coal phase-out, especially in South America and South Korea.
  • Peru, the first PPCA member in South America
  • Seoul, the capital of South Korea
  • Gyeonggi, the most populous province in South Korea
  • Baden-Württemberg, a state in southwest Germany
  • Kaohsiung and Taichung Cities
  • EDP, a major world energy company

With Peru as the first South American member, and new major subnational government members in South Korea, the PPCA boosts its geographical diversity, showing how its priorities resonate across the world. The new members will work together with the Alliance to pave the way to a faster coal phase-out, especially in South America and South Korea. They include a broad range of public and private sector organisations, demonstrating the Alliance’s commitment to engaging all the essential actors needed to end emission from coal power.

On behalf of the UK and Canadian Co-chairs of the Alliance, Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Jonathan Wilkinson, said:

“Minister Kwarteng and I are pleased to welcome the newest members of the Alliance. By joining the PPCA, these new members are demonstrating climate leadership while continuing to support workers and their families. Just like the pandemic, climate change requires proactive and coordinated action. It knows no borders, and it requires substantive international coordination.  It is heartening to see the Alliance grow internationally as we strive for a just, equitable and fair transition away from coal power.”

Germany’s Minister of Environment, Svenja Schulze, said:

“In the first six months of 2020, over half of Germany’s electricity was generated from renewable sources – this shows that, for industrialised countries, a swift coal phase-out is technically feasible. It is also economically viable and a climate policy imperative. Sustainable energy sources and modern networks enable us to strengthen our energy security. Furthermore, we provide a reliable supply to households and businesses and protect people from air pollution and other environmental impacts. In this, it is crucial to involve all relevant stakeholders in jointly shaping a fair and just transition to a future without fossil fuels.”

By joining the PPCA, the subnational governments of Seoul, Gyeonggi, Kaohsiung, Taichung and Baden-Württemberg pledge to accelerate the coal-to-clean transition by using the regulatory measures available to them and working with their respective national governments to push for more ambitious phase-out plans.

Seoul and Gyeonggi join South Chungcheong province – a South Korean PPCA member since 2018. Together, the three governments represent half of the Republic of Korea’s population, demonstrating the growing support for coal phase-out in the country. By joining the Alliance, they signal their opposition to the central government’s continued investment in coal power at home and abroad. The PPCA stands ready to support the Republic of Korea on energy transition, including by helping to translate the proposed Korean New Deal into concrete policies to end financing for coal power projects in the near future.

Peru is the first PPCA member in South America. With a commitment to become coal-free by 2022, Peru will be a pathfinder for a coal-free electricity sector, across the continent and beyond. Further impetus for accelerating the coal-to-clean transition in South America will come from EDP’s membership. EDP, a Portuguese utility and global leader in wind power generation, currently has coal assets in Portugal, Spain and Brazil, which are scheduled to close by 2030.

With these additional members, the Alliance now has 111 members, including 34 national governments, 33 subnational governments and 44 businesses. The announcement was made at a high-level ministerial event, as part of a series of UN Energy Transition Coalition events hosted by the Denmark and Ethiopia missions to the UN at the one-year mark since the UN Climate Action Summit.

The Minister of Environment in Peru, Kirla Echegaray said:

“We value the effort of the PPCA to promote the commitment and participation of national and sub-national governments and the private sector in order to work and advance together towards permanent generation and transition to clean and environment friendly energies.”

Su Yong Jeong, Deputy Mayor of Climate & Environment, Seoul Metropolitan Government said:

“In July this year Seoul announced “2050 GHG Reduction Strategy” that includes the city’s efforts to lower energy consumption from building and transportation sectors, and accelerate transition to renewable energy to make the city carbon neutral by 2050. In particular, to contribute to phasing out coal power, Seoul will increase solar power generation and hydrogen fuel cell facilities to produce more renewable energy in the area, and lower energy consumption by promoting various energy efficiency policies and encouraging citizens to save energy.”

South Chungcheong governor Seung-jo Yang said:

“South Chungcheong Province introduced coal phase-out and renewable energy criteria for selecting depository banks and led a joint declaration among 56 subnationals and education offices to declare ‘no-coal depository.’ The annual funds of these institutions are approximately US$ 126 billion. This movement is gradually spreading and we will make sure to change the direction of finance and this will eventually lead the industry in reducing carbon emissions.”

Miguel Stilwell de Andrade, interim CEO of EDP said:

“EDP is delighted to join the PPCA in order to strengthen our commitment to the Paris Agreement. Reducing CO2 emissions from coal is an important step for companies to take in the fight against climate change. EDP has been investing in low-carbon technologies for more than two decades, and we recently reaffirmed our commitment to sustainable growth when we announced the closure of our coal-fired power plants in Iberia. We look forward to continuing this journey in close partnership with the PPCA.”

Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and Bloomberg LP and three-term mayor of New York City said:

“In the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, we have an opportunity to rebuild stronger, more sustainable economies and fight climate change at the same time. The key is to accelerate the transition to 100% clean energy. To do that, it’s important that membership in the Powering Past Coal Alliance continues to grow and diversify globally. The faster that countries, states, cities, and businesses come together to end harmful subsidies and phase out coal power, the faster the world will recover and make climate progress.”

For more information, please contact:

Anna Drazkiewicz, Communications Manager, Powering Past Coal Alliance Secretariat, anna.drazkiewicz@poweringpastcoal.org, 00 32 487 324 562

Notes:

The Powering Past Coal Alliance, co-led by Canada and the United Kingdom, is the world’s first and only coalition of national and sub-national governments and private sector organisations working to advance the transition away from unabated coal power generation.

Since its launch by the UK and Canadian governments at COP23 in 2017, the PPCA has been increasing its reach and influence. It currently has 111 members who play a pivotal role in driving global coal phase-out efforts. One third of the OECD’s total coal capacity has now been scheduled to close through retirement commitments and phase-out policies – PPCA members have helped make this happen. The PPCA encourages all members to endorse the PPCA Declaration – including a commitment to phase out coal by 2030 in the OECD and EU, and by 2050 in the rest of the world.