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Explosion at Coal-Fired Plant in Central China Kills at Least 21

BEIJING — At least 21 people were killed and five injured by an explosion at a coal-fired power plant in central China on Thursday, according to official reports.

The deaths and injuries occurred when a high-pressure steam pipe exploded at a plant in the city of Dangyang in Hubei Province, according to a run by the provincial government.

The plant is owned by the Madian Gangue Power Generation Company, the website said. The company generates thermal power and sells slag, ash and petroleum products.

A man who answered the telephone at the Dangyang government’s propaganda office, who identified himself as Mr. Chen, said that an investigation was underway and that the government would release more details later.

On Thursday night, Xinhua, the state news agency, said an initial investigation by the city found that the steam pipe had burst and started leaking during a debugging process for the power plant, which is still under construction.

The plant uses coal gangue, also known as low-calorific coal, which is waste product from the mining and processing of coal.

Although coal gangue has relatively low energy value, and is considered more harmful to the environment than other types of coal, some central government officials and some provincial governments have been encouraging the establishment of power plants that will burn coal gangue. Otherwise, it is left in piles at mine sites.

Interactive Feature | Dangyang, China

China burns about as much coal as the rest of the nations of the world combined, which contributes to its status as the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, the main cause of . is also responsible for the in many Chinese cities, among the highest in the world.

The Chinese government has pledged to reduce coal use around big population centers to alleviate air pollution and mitigate the effects of climate change. As the country’s economy has slowed, the growth in coal use has decreased, and there was even a in 2015 compared with the previous year.

At the same time, provincial governments have pressed ahead with approvals for building more coal-fired power plants, including ones that would use coal gangue.

Last month, Greenpeace East Asia, based in Beijing, that said China was on track to add an average of one new coal-fired plant a week until 2020, despite attempts by the central government to slow down approval of the plants.

The construction boom can be traced to projects already underway, as well as to loopholes in policy that have allowed provincial officials and companies to receive approval for the plants.

The plant-building boom will result in 400 gigawatts of excess capacity and a waste of more than $150 billion, because the plants are not needed to meet energy demand, Greenpeace said. China now has 910 gigawatts of coal-fired capacity and is expected to retire 70 gigawatts of that.

A sign that there is excess capacity is that coal-fired power plants are operating for far fewer hours than in previous years and at well below their abilities.

In a climate change agreement reached in 2014 with the United States, the Chinese government promised that 20 percent of its energy would come from sources other than fossil fuels by 2030.

Correction: August 11, 2016

An earlier version of this article misstated part of the name of the power plant’s owner. It is the Madian Gangue — not Gange — Power Generation Company.