China’s coal plant boom is undercutting clean energy push

CHINA embarked last year on its biggest coal-power building boom in a decade, reinforcing the role of the dirtiest fossil fuel in its energy mix even as it aims to transition to renewables.

Nearly 95 gigawatts of new coal-fired generators started construction, the most since 2015, according to a joint study released on Thursday (Feb 13) by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (Crea) and Global Energy Monitor. Local governments also sped up permits for future plants towards the end of the year after a slowdown in the first half, approving a total of 67 gigawatts of new capacity in 2024.

The surge coincides with the country’s breakneck development of clean energy, which included 356 gigawatts of new wind and solar capacity in 2024, making additional electricity from fossil fuels unnecessary. Thermal power generation grew less than 2 per cent last year, and President Xi Jinping has pledged to reduce coal use from 2026.

Still, the fuel is regarded as a key pillar of energy security, and China’s planners have said it’s still needed as a backup to balance out the intermittent electricity provided by wind and solar. But there are signs, including a rise in curtailments of clean energy, that coal generators are entrenching their position and crowding out renewables, limiting the country’s ability to peak emissions before Xi’s 2030 deadline, according to the report.

Coal producers are helping to push the continued growth of the fleet, with more than three-quarters of new permits going to companies with mining operations, the report said. Long-term coal-power contracts are also reinforcing the fuel’s dominance at the expense of renewables.

“China’s rapid expansion of renewable energy has the potential to reshape its power system, but this opportunity is being undermined by the simultaneous large-scale expansion of coal power,” said Qi Qin, an analyst at Crea. BLOOMBERG