China Plans to Become Biggest Investor in Biomass Power Plants

China has plans to throw the ailing biomass industry a lifeline, becoming one of the biggest investor in the technology that can generate electricity that’s considered renewable from waste and wood.

The government National Energy Administration said on its website on Dec. 5 that China will invest 40 billion yuan ($5.8 billion) over by 2020. Including investments in biogas and biofuels, that investment will reach 196 billion yuan. Biomass currently accounts for just 1 percent of China’s electricity mix, and the new funding will boost installed capacity for by almost half to 15 gigawatts from about 10.3 gigawatts at the end ...