Xinjiang now has the highest rate of coal plants adapted to flexible operation of any region in China, with 36.83 GW of capacity across 87 units now upgraded to flexible operation – of which 8 GW was upgraded to flexible operation in 2024. That makes for a majority of the Autonomous Region’s coal assets – but only 20% of China’s coal plants were capable of flexible operation back in 2022, per research published that year by Hwabao Securities, which observed that in contrast that 80% of thermal generators in countries like Spain and Denmark were flexible. The Development and Reform Commission (DRC) of Xinjiang comments that the 8 GW upgraded in 2024 will allow for an additional 4.2 TWh of…