Where are coal power plant projects being cancelled?

One measure of the state of the coal power plant industry is plant cancellations. This refers to cases when a sponsor announces that it has canceled a project, or when a project fails to advance and then quietly disappears from company documents. There also are projects where sufficient evidence is found to indicate that a project is no longer moving forward, but not enough to declare it definitively cancelled. Such projects can be thought of as “shelved.”1

Data

PNG

Embed Code

The number of canceled and shelved coal projects through 2022 is heavily concentrated in Asia: China (603 GW canceled), India (604 GW), Turkey (93 GW), Vietnam (63 GW), and Indonesia (53 GW). Outside of Asia, the greatest cancellations have been in the United States (28 GW), Poland (25 GW), and Germany (20 GW).

Data

PNG

Embed Code

China’s investment in coal is a study in contrasts. It is one of the few countries that is building substantial new coal capacity due to its abundant coal reserves and very favorable government policies. In 2022, China was approving permits for two coal plants per week.2 Yet China decommissioned 70.45 gigawatts (GW) of coal-fired plants from 2013 through 2023, far and away the greatest closure rate in the world.3 Most plants were older, smaller, and less efficient than new builds. Coal plant closures were also driven by China’s rapid new investment in solar and wind power.

Due to continued competition from natural gas and renewable resources, 23% of the 200,568 megawatts (MW) of coal-fired capacity currently operating in the United States in 2022 will be retired by the end of 2029. Between 2012 and 2021, an average of 9,450 MW of coal-fired capacity was retired yearly.4

1 Global Energy Monitor, “Global Coal Plant Tracker, July 2023 release,” https://globalenergymonitor.org/projects/global-coal-plant-tracker/download-data/

2 Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, “China permits two new coal power plants per week in 2022,” February 27, 2023, https://energyandcleanair.org/publication/china-permits-two-new-coal-power-plants-per-week-in-2022/

3 Howe, Colleen and Ella Cao, “In China’s coal country, full steam ahead with new power plants despite climate pledges,” Reuters, November 30, 2023, https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/chinas-coal-country-full-steam-ahead-with-new-power-plants-despite-climate-2023-11-30/

4 U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Nearly a quarter of the operating U.S. coal-fired fleet scheduled to retire by 2029,” November 7, 2022, https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=54559

Recent Data Stories

What are the connections among fuel poverty, time poverty, and gender equity?

Access to clean cooking fuels is crucial for gender equity and poverty alleviation. Currently, billions of people lack safe and affordable energy sources for cooking. Women and girls bear a disproportionate burden in collecting and processing polluting fuels, affecting their well-being and opportunities. Clean cooking energy reduces cooking time, allowing women to engage in other activities like childcare, work, and household chores.

What is the ‘diesel discount’ and does it matter?

Road transport relies heavily on gasoline and diesel, influenced by government policies that often favor diesel for its efficiency. However, diesel produces more pollution, and the tax revenues it generates complicate change. The debate now centers on speeding up the transition to electric transportation to combat greenhouse gas emissions while balancing historical preferences with environmental concerns.

How does public finance support energy?

The global energy system encompasses diverse infrastructure requiring extensive investment, with USD 2.8 trillion spent in 2023. Public finance significantly supports energy projects, where fossil fuels received 56% of funding from 2013 to 2022. Clean energy finance increased until 2021, highlighting varying regional priorities and the dominance of large projects in funding distribution.

Where are people most exposed to particulate matter?

Airborne particulate matter (PM2.5) comprises tiny particles that pose significant health risks, including heart disease and lung cancer. Major sources include natural events and human activities, with notable geographic variations. Reductions in PM2.5 levels have been observed in affluent regions, but exposure remains high in countries like China and India, impacting public health.

What renewable fuels have the largest climate benefit?

Approximately 91% of transportation energy globally comes from petroleum fuels, creating 29% of US and 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Biofuels offer potential emission reductions but raise land use concerns. Ethanol's carbon emissions have decreased, and ongoing research aims to further reduce them. Government support and investments are driving biofuel expansion.

What is nuclear power uprating and why is it important?

Nuclear power in the US has steadily contributed 19% of electricity since 1990, mainly through uprates. These uprates, approved by the NRC, have boosted capacity by 24,080 MWt or 8030 MWe, equivalent to over 7 new plant units. Most uprates range from 0-5%.

Our mission

Visualizing Energy communicates facts on the link between sustainable energy and human well-being to decision-makers, media, companies, advocates, educators, and the public.

Who we are

Visualizing Energy is an independent and neutral university-based research and communication organization.

What we do

We knit data analysis, visualizations, and the written word into stories that reveal how our energy system can be transformed to reduce inequity, steer humanity from climate disaster, improve health and other social outcomes, and lead to healthier natural systems. We address the energy system itself (sources, conversion, end use), economics (prices, investment, market failures), social outcomes (well-being, energy poverty, and climate justice), and environmental change (climate, pollution, and land and water use).

How are we different

The internet is awash in information about energy, climate change, and health impacts of pollution. But society is deficient in a shared understanding of how our energy system must change. One reason for that is that information is siloed by technology, policy, and disciplines. We use the unique role of energy in human affairs and natural systems as the unifying principle behind compelling, data-driven stories that point to solutions that are feasible, affordable, and equitable. We are interdisciplinary and collaborative, working with diverse teams and perspectives that span the broad energy landscape.

Open access

Visualizing Energy aims to accelerate a sustainable energy transition by deploying a more equitable system of knowledge. To that end, all the data, visualizations, and original text are freely available to all users. We license all our content under the Creative Commons BY license. Users have permission to use, distribute, and reproduce the data, visualizations, and articles provided the source and authors are credited.

Transparency

We heavily rely on data that someone else produced. All the data in Visualizing Energy is attributed to its original source so that the user can independently judge its accuracy and reliability. We describe all major modifications that we make to data.

Subscribe to Visualizing Energy

* indicates required
Subscription

Discover more from Visualizing Energy

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading