Biggest China Bank Abandons $3 Billion Zimbabwe Coal Plant
A crane unloads the first shipment of anthracite coal from U.S. supplier XCoal Energy & Resources LLC
(Bloomberg) — China’s biggest bank dumped a plan to finance a $3 billion coal-fired power plant in Zimbabwe, dealing a blow to coal developers in Africa that see China as the last potential funder of their projects.
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd. (ICBC) told Go Clean ICBC, an ad hoc body representing 32 environmental groups, that it won’t fund the 2,800-megawatt Sengwa coal project in northern Zimbabwe, according to a June 18 email seen by Bloomberg. The message was sent to 350.org, one of the Go Clean groups. ICBC didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.