A recent study by CoalSwarm has said that the amount of coal-fired power generation under development globally has fallen by 14 per cent this year, driven down by China’s oversupply and by a shift towards renewable energy.
India introduced new rules earlier in 2016 to reduced plans for coal-fired plants, partly due to the under-utilisation of existing facilities in the country, according to CoalSwarm’s Global Plant Tracker report.
CoalSwarm said that overall, the amount of coal-fired generating capacity in pre-construction planning dropped 14 per cent to 932 GW in July, down from 1090 GW at the start of the year. Ted Nace, Director of CoalSwarm, said: “It’s a combination of environmental concerns, including climate and health, along with the deteriorating economics of coal.”
China saw its biggest drop in its pre-construction pipeline, of 114 GW, with a total of 406 GW proposed, while India’s plan construction fell by 40 GW. The Philippines and Indonesia also reduced planned coal use, while Egypt and Mongolia have increased their planned construction.