中国电力报 中电新闻网 实习记者 徐金巾 译
受《巴黎协定》的影响，全球正在往更加"绿色"的能源行业发展。这对煤炭行业是个严峻的挑战。许多国家都在制定退出燃煤电厂计划，然而世界煤炭协会首席执行官Benjamin Sporton表示，未来几十年里发展中国家依然会增加对煤炭的需求，但作为新兴经济体须把注意力转移到如何采用清洁煤技术和智能电网技术上。
"煤炭最为一种传统能源，是可靠的电力来源。虽然目前在经历一个下行周期，但是依然存在回升余地。"在分析影响全球煤价的原因时，Benjamin Sporton表示，今年以前，全球煤价一直处于低迷状态， 但是今年开始需求回升，煤价上涨。后期依然会持续上涨态势，中国和印度继续会将煤炭作为本国的能源主体。
对于《巴黎协定》规定的减排目标， Benjamin Sporton表示，"我们需要关注是解决环境问题的方案，问题不是煤炭，而是碳排放。应该把更多投资放在减少碳排放技术上，而不是要退出煤炭。"他认为在未来几十年里，煤炭依然是能源结构中无可替代的重要组成部分，它是制造钢铁和水泥的关键因素，也是工业化和城市化的关键部分。
'Coal will be a key fuel in the energy mix for decades to come'
Q&A with Benjamin Sporton
Shreya Jai | New Delhi November 10, 2016 Last updated at 01:28 IST
Emerging economies are being pushed to cut carbon emissions and adopt 'greener' energy sources, a challenge for the coal sector. However, says BENJAMIN SPORTON, chief executive, World Coal Association, industrialising cuuntries will continue to push demand for some decades. Emerging economies would have to adopt clean coal technologies and efficient power production. Edited excerpts of a talk with Shreya Jai:
What variables across the globe would help a price correction for coal?
We have come off the period where prices have been low and hence there was less investment in supply. There have been some comebacks in supply in some cases and that has supported an increase in price, as demand continues to tick along quite strongly. When you look at the medium term, the prospect is that demand will continue to support reasonable prices. The economies of Southeast Asia, China and India would continue to have coal as an important part of their energy mix.
Globally, there have been reports of investors being wary of coal. What financing models would work for coal when everyone is going green?
We need to focus on what type of solution we are looking for. We are looking at an environmental solution and the problem is not coal but carbon emissions. We should be looking at investment in reducing carbon emissions and we need to invest in technologies for this, rather than saying we need to get out of coal.Coal is going to be a very important fuel in the energy mix for decades to come. It is also a key ingredient in making steel and cement and so, it is a key part of the industrialising and urbanising world. So, we need to invest in low emission technology than think of how to stay away from coal.
