通用電氣——這家世界上最大的燃煤電廠制造商之一的美國企業(yè)集團宣布將退出新建煤炭市場，這引起了業(yè)界對已經在建的煤炭企業(yè)的質疑。
An Australian non-profit said General Electric’s (GE) announcement that the American conglomerate, one of the world’s biggest makers of coal-fired power plants, would exit the new build coal market raises questions about coal ventures already in the pipeline.
一直呼吁銀行和企業(yè)放棄煤炭的Market Forces在一份新聞稿中表示，9月22日宣布的這一舉動是給陷入困境的煤炭行業(yè)的又一致命一擊，但通用電氣尚未對16個國家共18個將使用其設備的擬議煤電項目的命運作出說明。While the move, announced on 22 September, represents another nail in the coffin for the ailing coal sector, the company has yet to shed light on the fate of a total of 18 proposed coal power projects in 16 countries that would use its equipment, said Market Forces, which has been calling on banks and firms to ditch coal, in a press release.
“通用電氣的公告對氣候和公司底線而言是個好消息，”Market Forces執(zhí)行董事Julien Vincent說?！癎E’s announcement is good news for the climate and for the company’s bottom line,” said Market Forces executive director Julien Vincent.
“現在最大的問題是通用電氣賬面上大量的項目將發(fā)生什么，”他觀察到。“在通用電氣因此舉獲得太多贊譽之前，需要對這18個規(guī)劃中的燃煤電站進行澄清。”“The big question now is what happens to the raft of projects GE has on its books,” he observed. “Before GE gets too many plaudits for its move, there needs to be clarity on these 18 planned coal-fired power stations.”
根據Market Forces的數據，這些位于孟加拉國、印度尼西亞、印度、菲律賓和越南等地的相關電廠的產能相當于德克薩斯州煤電產能的兩倍多，并且在其生命周期內還會向大氣中增加排放25億噸二氧化碳。The plants concerned—which are sited in Bangladesh, Indonesia, India, the Philippines and Vietnam, among others—are the equivalent of more than doubling Texas’ coal power capacity, and would add another 2.5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere over their lifetime, according to Market Forces.
Eco-Business已經聯(lián)系了通用電氣征求意見。Eco-Business has reached out to GE for comment.
Eco-Business在一份聲明中表示，退出“可能”包括剝離資產、關閉電廠以及裁員，但會“在現有義務上下功夫”。通用電氣高級副總裁Russell Stokes表示，該公司將繼續(xù)為現有電廠提供服務。The company said in a statement the exit “may” include divestitures, site closings as well as job cuts, but that it would “work on existing obligations”. Russell Stokes, GE’s senior vice president, indicated the company would keep servicing existing power plants.
“我們在追求退出新建煤電市場的同時，將繼續(xù)支持并幫助客戶以經濟高效的方式保持現有電廠的運行，”他說。“As we pursue this exit from the new build coal power market, we will continue to support our customers, helping them to keep their existing plants running in a cost-effective and efficient way,” he said.
退出煤電市場的決定是在美國對清潔能源的接受度越來越高的情況下做出的，此前通用電氣的煤電業(yè)務已經歷數年的破壞性發(fā)展。Stokes表示，通用電氣“專注于具有吸引力的經濟性和增長軌跡的發(fā)電業(yè)務”。The decision to pull out of the coal market comes as the acceptance of clean energy in the United States grows and follows several devastating years for the firm’s coal power business. Stokes said GE was “focused on power generation businesses that have attractive economics and growth trajectory”.
根據Market Forces的數據，通用電氣2016年至2018年市值下降了74%，2018年火電設備制造收入下降了22%。2018年和2019年，通用電氣電力部門的現金流分別為負23億美元和負15億美元。According to Market Forces, GE’s market capitalisation fell by 74 per cent between 2016 and 2018, with revenues for thermal equipment manufacturing down 22 per cent in 2018. In 2018 and 2019, GE’s power segment reported negative cash flows of US$2.3 billion and US$1.5 billion, respectively.
Vincent表示，通用電氣進軍煤炭的失敗，對于其余少數仍在經營的企業(yè)來說，應該是一個警示，比如德國的西門子、日本的東芝和韓國的斗山，后者最近獲得了韓國政府20億美元的疫情救助資金。Vincent said GE’s failed venture into coal should serve as a cautionary tale for the remaining handful of corporations still in the business, such as Germany’s Siemens, Japan’s Toshiba and South Korea’s Doosan, which recently received a US$2 billion coronavirus bailout from the South Korean government.
對于電子巨頭三星來說，這也應該是一個警鐘，該公司最近宣布其建筑部門三星物產可能會在越南建設擬議中的Vung Ang 2燃煤電廠，從而引發(fā)了一場關于強調該項目對環(huán)境和社會影響的活動。It should also be a wakeup call for electronic giant Samsung, which recently announced its construction arm, Samsung C&T, could build the proposed Vung Ang 2 coal-fired power plant in Vietnam, prompting a campaign that highlights the environmental and social impact of the project.
“通用電氣進軍煤電領域災難性的嘗試，應該是對其他人明確的警告，” Vincent說?！叭俏锂a等公司應該謹慎介入類似Vung Ang 2的項目，接下通用電氣的爛攤子。這些項目一再被證明是壞消息，不僅對氣候不利，而且對公司的底線和品牌也不利?！薄癎E’s catastrophic foray into coal power should be a clear warning to others,” said Vincent. “Companies such as Samsung C&T should be wary of stepping in to pick up GE’s trash in projects such as Vung Ang 2. These projects have proven, time and again, to be bad news, not just for the climate, but for companies’ bottom line and brand.”
通用電氣一直是Vung Ang 2項目背后的工程、采購和施工承包商之一，并且沒有透露其煤炭退出是否會撤出這個有爭議的項目。GE has been one of the engineering, procurement and construction contractors behind the Vung Ang 2 project and it has not disclosed whether its coal exit will see it withdraw from the controversial venture.
多年來，Vung Ang 2項目因其可能加劇空氣污染和助長氣候變化而屢屢成為民間團體的目標。包括渣打銀行和華僑銀行在內的多家金融機構已退出通用電氣，理由是與收緊的貸款準則相沖突。Over the years, the project has been repeatedly targeted by civil society groups for its potential to exacerbate air pollution and fuel climate change. A number of financial institutions including Standard Chartered Bank and OCBC Bank have pulled out of the venture, citing conflicts with tightened lending guidelines.
2020年3月，來自16個國家的65個環(huán)保組織組成的國際聯(lián)盟發(fā)起了一場針對通用電氣的新的大型運動，敦促該企業(yè)集團停止為其所在國的煤炭行業(yè)提供設備，并使其業(yè)務與《巴黎協(xié)定》的目標保持一致。In March, an international coalition of 65 environmental groups from 16 nations launched a major new campaign against GE, urging the conglomerate to stop supplying equipment for the coal industry in their countries and align its business with the goals of the Paris climate deal.
通用電氣的這一消息是在美國總統(tǒng)大選之前宣布的，在這次大選中，爭奪總統(tǒng)職位的候選人對化石燃料的看法截然不同，現任總統(tǒng)特朗普支持 "美麗 "的煤炭，而拜登則呼吁采取更強硬的政策來應對全球變暖。GE’s announcement comes ahead of a presidential election in the United States, in which the rivals vying for the presidency hold starkly different views on fossil fuels, with incumbent Donald Trump championing “beautiful” coal and Joe Biden calling for tougher policies to fight global warming.

來源：igdp